Time Flies
by aubreysmom
Summary: by a Deaf friend who let me use this as a prequel [and wants to remain anonymous]. A fraud case at a nursing home leads to the team getting an unexpected glance into Sue's world. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Time Flies**

By: a Deaf author who wishes to remain anonymous

Rated: k+ (PG)

Warnings: None

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:

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_Looking from afar, she watched the other children playing in the tall, dry grass. She strained to hear the rustling of the dry grass against their pants. The birds in the sky as she looked up were visible, a flock was flying overhead, yet they made no sound. The passing cars from the street caught the corner of her eye; as she watched them pass, she waited to hear the zoom of the engines, just as her brother had once described it to her. Yet there was none. She swiftly fixed her gaze back to the children playing, dreaming perhaps just one day they would ask her to come join them. She rested herself against an oddly-formed rock that sat behind her, with her head resting upon her arms folded behind her head; she slowly shut her eyes to daydream of how different it could be. She suddenly had the unsuspecting fear someone was standing over her; as she shielded her eyes from the blinding sun, she felt a tug at her leg, startled she snapped to, realizing it was Levi, who had pawed her pant leg… _

"What is it?" she asked, seeing the dog bark in the absence of sound.

She felt a slight weight upon her shoulder; looking over, she saw Jack standing next to her. "Oh! I'm sorry," she replied.

"Quite alright. You seemed deep in thought," He remarked.

She shifted her position in her wooden chair as she smiled, "Guess I was daydreaming."

Jack vaguely recalled what it was like to daydream. He gave her a gentle smile. "Ah; well we have a new case," he proclaimed.

"Wonderful. What is it this time: Drug Cartel, Espionage, perhaps a Diamond heist?" she said sarcastically.

"I think Myles is rubbing off on you!" he exclaimed, stunned by her sarcasm.

Sue gave a subtle smile as sherolled her eyes slightly at his retort.

"Health Care Benefits Fraud."

She scrunched her brows. "Excuse me?" she said.

"The case; it's about Health Care Benefits fraud in Nursing Homes," he said.

She looked at him, a bit confused. "Did I read you correctly; did you say _Health Care Benefit fraud in nursing homes?_" she asked.

Jack slowly nodded his head. "Yes, that is what I said. It's our case."

"Our case?" Sue said, a bit stunned.

Jack snickered. "Yes, our case. Ted called me into his office shortly after I arrived— that is where I've been— and he was filling me in on the particulars."

Sue raised a brow. "Care to fill me in?" she asked with a smile.

"I'd love to; over lunch?" He asked, holding out his hand to help her up.

Sue slid her purse strap on her shoulder as they walked together to the elevator awaiting them.

"What sounds good to you?" Jack asked, gently rubbing at his stomach.

She rubbed her chin slightly while thinking. "How about Italian? We haven't had that lately."

"Italian it is then, milady," Jack said, as they entered the elevator, watching the door close slowly.


	2. Chapter 2

Sue took her opportunity as they stopped at a red light in heavy lunch-hour traffic. "What exactly is this case about?"

"I've not had time to read the case file yet, but what I got from Garrett is that one of the doctors on staff stumbled upon some of the other doctors, prescribing medications and unneeded tests to the residences there," Jack began to explain.

Moments later, they arrived at the restaurant. While waiting for their meal to arrive, they continued discussing the current case.

Jack explained, "They then would charge the Health Care Providers, even though they had never actually given the medications or the tests to the patients."

Sue scowled. "A bit unethical to me, it seems," she stated.

"Well it is, very unethical, along with being a federal crime. That's why we are going undercover to stop them."

After their food arrived, they paused momentarily as they ate, then continued to discuss the case.

She snickers. "So, we are going undercover, as what? Patients?"

Jack gave her a subtle grin. "Hardly," he remarked. I'll be going in as a new Administrator, while you will become the new Therapeutic Visitor, with trusty Levi."

A bit perplexed, she gave him a silly grin. "Excuse me, I'll become the, _what_ visitor?" she asked.

Jack paused, then fingerspelled _T-H-E-R-A-P-E-U-T-I-C_. "I think I spelled that right," he said with a slight chuckle.

"You mean _therapy_?" She asked, as she spoke and signed.

He snickered slightly at her correction. "Yes; basically, you and Levi will hang around, helping and visiting with the patients. Hopefully, you'll be able to catch something from the doctor or doctors we are after."

She half-scowled at him. "Do we know _which_ doctor or doctors we are after?" she asked calmly.

"Not a clue." He said as he grinned.

"Well then, this should be relatively simple," she said.

Jack gave her a simple nod. "We best get back to the office; we have lots to do to prepare for tomorrow."

- -


	3. Chapter 3

Jack walked into the Bullpen after lunch, waving a manila folder. "Listen up, boys and girls," he announced. "We've got a new case Garrett passed to me this morning." Sue followed in behind him, taking a seat at her desk.

"So, Sparky… what's on the menu for today?" Bobby said as he pushed himself away from his desk with such force that he narrowly escaped tipping his chair over. Hearing the others giggle at his antics, unable to contain his own laughter, he joined in.

Glaring at Bobby, Myles said, "Could you _possibly_ give me an estimated date that you might decide to grow up?"

"Not a chance, mate; the element of surprise is on my side," the Aussie replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"Can we get on with this, please?" Tara snapped lightly from across the room.

Jack took a few moments to fill them in on the particulars of the case. He shifted slightly to the side, pointing at Sue. "… Sue and Levi will go in as the new Therapy Duo."

"Excuse me?" Sue exclaimed, arching a brow at him.

Jack snickered slightly. "I say it only with love and admiration." He grinned.

She smiled. "Oh, well, in that case… Please continue."

Containing his desire to laugh, he turned and pointed at Dimitrius, "You'll go in as the new Maintenance man." He shifted his body to indicate Myles, "and you will—"

"Remain here collecting data," Myles cut Jack off in mid-sentence.

"I had other plans for you, Myles" Jack said.

"I don't do well around the elderly; I'd prefer to stay here, if you don't mind," Myles replied in a nervous tone.

"Alright then," Jack stated with a shrug. "I'll be going in as an Administrator. Tara, you will be my secretary; this way you can look over billings and question the patients without being suspected.

"Bobby, you'll be on call with the center's bus while you help Myles here. When a patient needs a ride, while you transport them, slip a question or two; perhaps one of them knows something unknowingly.

"Remember people, every little bit counts. I suggest you finish up whatever it is you have left on other cases. Our undivided attention is needed on this one," Jack explained.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack looked in Sue's direction; seeing she was staring at the filing cabinet, he walked over and laid his hand gently on her shoulder. She jumped slightly as it startled her, and furrowed her brow as she looked at him. "Hey, you okay? You seemed to be in deep thought. Is it about this case?" he asked.

"Oh, no; something else. Did you need something?" she asked.

Jack sighed. "Well, I was wondering if maybe you would join me for dinner tonight," he said, running his hand down the back of his head. "We can talk a little more about this undercover, if you want."

Sue aimed a grin at him. "I'm sorry. Lucy and I already have plans. Perhaps another night?"

"Sure… just thought I'd ask, was all," he said, turning to walk away. "Hey Crash!" he yelled out. "Sue turned me down for dinner; you interested, buddy?" he said jokingly.

Bobby shook his finger as Sue. "Tisk, Tisk. You turned Sparky down for dinner?" he teased, trying to hold in a grin.

It dawned on her that Jack had been sarcastic about her rejection to his dinner proposal. "Yeah well, he can't win them all, now can he?" she said as she laughed.

Lucy entered the room, stopping at Sue's desk. "You ready?" she asked.

Sue, signing as she spoke. _Yes, I'm ready_.

Several minutes after Sue and Lucy left, Bobby grabbed his jacket, walked over and leans against Jack's desk. "You ready, too?" He asked while putting on his jacket.

"Ready for what?" Jack said.

"For dinner, mate— remember, you offered to buy," the Aussie grinned.

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Jack said, chuckling. "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Five

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**

The two men stopped at their favorite pub, _Patty's Pub_. They ordered their usual sandwiches and a pitcher of draft beer.

Jack's gaze was down, concentrating on spinning his soggy napkin. Bobby could clearly read his friend's state of mind. "So Sparky… what's troubling you?" he asked.

Jack looked up, as he sighed. "Nothing, really," he said softly.

"Nothing really, huh? Grown men don't play with soggy napkins unless they're in distress," Bobby stated.

Jack shook his head slightly. "Sue's been acting strange the past few days; guess I'm just concerned, is all."

Bobby slapped his friend's arm gently. "She's on hell of a lucky lady, to have a friend like you, Sparky."

"Thanks." Jack said, grinning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Six

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Meanwhile, at the girls' apartment, Sue sat on the couch, the room's dimmed lights helping to ease her thoughts. Lucy walked in, flipping on the lamp. "Hey!" Sue said, sitting up from her slouched position.

"Hey, yourself. Thought we would talk for a few minutes about what's troubling you," Lucy said as she sat down next to Sue.

"There's nothing to talk about," Sue said.

Lucy gave her a perplexed look. "Are you sure? You've seemed pretty distant the past few days."

"Honestly, I'm _fine_. I just have some personal issues on my mind that I need to sort out," she said, slumping back into the couch.

"Well, if you want to talk about it, I'm here…" the dark-skinned woman said as she leaned over to hug her friend.

Sue grinned. "I know, and thank you."

"Hey, anytime… What are friends for, right?" Lucy said, releasing a soft chuckle.

Sue nodded gently.

"Well, I'm bushed. Think I'll hit the sack. How about you?" Lucy asked.

"I'll be along shortly, you go ahead." Sue said.

Lucy signed _Good Night_, and Sue returned the sign. Still, it was awhile before Sue fell asleep that night, troubled thoughts continuing to plague her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven

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The following morning, they began to slowly drag themselves into the office for a final once-over before heading to their new assignments at the nursing home.

Tara was standing in front of the small, narrow table, making coffee; it was their first pot of the early morning. Sue joined her, placing the two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (it was her turn to buy) next to the brewing coffee pot. The rest of the team slowly congregated within the confined area.

As Jack and Sue's eyes met, they exchanged a friendly smile towards one another. "So, who is our main contact at the nursing home?" Sue asked as she stirred her coffee a few more times.

"The doctor who contacted us in the first place about this case. I believe his name was... Bauman… Dr. Dan Bauman." Jack replied.

Sue's face suddenly had a blank expression. She was deep in thought. _It couldn't possibly be the same Dan Bauman I went to High School with… Could it?_

Jack, perplexed by her reaction to the Doctor's name, gently touched her arm. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Sue felt a shiver run throughout her body, as she quivered. "I went to High School with a Daniel Bauman," she said, quivering once more.

Jack gently rubbed her arm for reassurance. "I highly doubt it's the same Dan Bauman. Don't worry so much... you'll be just fine."

She gazed down into her cup of coffee. "No, I suppose you're right; it couldn't possibly be the same person." Looking up once again, she released a nervous laugh. "I mean, what are the odds of that happening?"

"Exactly my point," Jack said as he signed _we go_. "We'd best get a move on."

Sue nodded slightly as acknowledgement.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight

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**

Upon arriving at the Nursing Home, they sat silently in the car for a few moments. "I think it's best if I go in first to make contact with Dr. Bauman," Jack said finally, and watched as Sue nodded. "In about twenty minutes, come join me; you probably should ask for me at the front desk."

She watched as Jack disappeared through the smoked glass doors of the Nursing Home's entrance. She looked down at her faithful Golden Retriever companion. "Oh Levi, what am I going to do if it really is the same Dan?" she said as she stroked his soft head. She thought for a moment: _After all these years, I still can't bear the thoughts of seeing him again – not after what he did to me._


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine

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Tara looked up briefly from her computer. "Dimitrius, you start tomorrow or next day with them?"

Dimitrius stopped shuffling papers for a moment and looked up. "Tomorrow," he responded. "Why?"

"Well, I'm pulling up some interesting tidbits on the good doctor who first contacted us," Tara remarked, still typing away.

Bobby, Myles, and Dimitrius gathered around her desk. "Here, check this out…" Tara stated, pointing to the left corner of her monitor.

There was silence for a minute. Then Myles said dryly, "Okay, translate for us _not_-so-computer-savvy people."

Tara grinned at him and shifted in her chair. "This is from the collective bank records I've gathered from Daniel Bauman. It seems that about a year ago he started making large monthly deposits into his bank account. It continued until just 4 months ago."

"Aha!" Bobby blurted out. When three sets of expectant eyes hit him, he had to continue, rather sheepishly. "Uh… and this means exactly _what_?"

Tara rolled her eyes slightly. "This _means_ that perhaps the good doctor knew what was going on with the Health Care scams because he _wasn't_ so good in the past, but has seen the error of his ways. I'm thinking he was in on it at some point."

"I hate to admit it Tara, but you surprise even me sometimes," Myles said.

Tara cocked her head slightly. "Gee, Myles... is that a compliment, perhaps?"

Myles chuckled as he grinned at her. "Never!" he exclaimed, as he slipped her a wink.

"Ya'know, I think Tara might be onto something here…" Bobby said, tossing Tara's puzzle cube around.

"Nice of you to catch up, Koala Boy." Myles gave his deskmate a tolerantly exasperated look.

"Hey guys, I have Dr. Bauman's school and residency papers," Lucy hollered. The three looked as she joined them at Tara's desk and handed the paper to Myles.

"What's it say?" Bobby asked, craning his neck in an attempt to read it at the same time.

"Quite impressive, I must say," Myles mused, still reading.

"Ya, _what_ is so impressive?" Bobby asked.

Myles wordlessly handed the paper to Tara and he retreated to his computer, intently looking through databases. Bobby leaned into Lucy, "What's he doing?" he asked, sporting a sheepish grin.

Lucy rolled her eyes and whispered back. "What does he _ever_ do?"

Tara chuckled. "Be nice guys; Myles is really trying to be more a part of the team, I've noticed lately."

"Oh, Tara, you put such a damper on our fun!" Bobby said, as he laughed.

"_This_ is what is so interesting," Myles said, as he waved his arm for his fellow teammates to join him. Only Dimitrius didn't follow; Lucy had indicated a call for him.

"Whatch'a got there, Myles?" Bobby asked as he grabbed his chair.

Myles flipped his monitor around so they could all see. "If you look here, the other doctors on staff at the nursing home graduated, not only from the same university, but from the exact same _class_ as our good Dr. Bauman. Coincidence? I think not, " he said, a triumphant smile on his face.

Lucy chimed in. "Have they all worked together since they graduated?"

"Good point, Luce," Tara said, swinging back toward her computer. "Myles, check and see if they all did their residencies at the same hospital. I'll pull up their school records, see if there is anything funny with their grades and-or reviews. "

As the collected data appeared on Myles' screen, Bobby blurted out, "BINGO!"

The Harvard grad gave him a look. "Yes, they all had their residency at the same hospital," he told Tara.

Tara, back at her own desk, ran her fingers through her hair as she brushed her bangs from her forehead. "This is interesting," she said.

The team regrouped around her. "What's interesting?" Myles asked.

"Well, it seems all of them had the same review doctor, who gave all four of them exactly the same high marks." Tara said. "Even the comments are nearly identical."

Lucy folded her arms at her chest. "I think maybe this goes a bit deeper then any of us thought at first."

"I think you're right on the money, Luce." Bobby said.

"Tara, perhaps start digging into the good doctors and the mentor to see what we can come up with," Myles said.

"I'm on it!" Tara exclaimed.

"Oh, make sure you get _everything _on them, medical school records, employment, financial... The whole nine yards," Myles ordered.

Bobby suddenly glanced around the room. "Hey, where'd D go?" he asked, a bit perplexed.

"Davy's school called; seems his son had a slight accident on the playground, and he needed to be taken home. They couldn't reach Donna," Lucy explained.

"Ah, the dreaded _parent syndrome_," Myles snickered.

The three others sang out in chorus, grinning. "Oh, put a sock in it, Myles!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten

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**

The middle-aged woman sitting behind the front counter at the nursing home was speechless, fixated on the handsome man standing on the other side of her counter. "Can I help you, sir?" she stammered.

"Yes, I'm here to meet with the Director, Mr. Arbor. I'm Jack Hanson, the new Administrator," he said.

The woman behind the counter swallowed twice as she picked up her phone. "Mr. Arbor, there is a Jack Hanson to see you." She continued to stare at the tall agent as she hung up her phone. "Mr. Arbor will be right out; please have a seat." Her eyes never shifted from Jack, she pointed to a row of chairs against the back wall.

Shortly a plump, short, older man came bustling down the hall. "Jack Hanson, I presume."

Jack stood to meet the man as he neared. "Yes, I'm Jack Hanson. Mr. Arbor?"

"Yes, that's me. Please, join me in my office." The two men walked back down the hallway, disappearing into a room at the end.

After an exchange of short pleasantries, Mr. Arbor sat down at his desk and motioned Jack into a chair. "So, Jack... May I call you Jack?" he asked.

"Yes, please feel free," Jack replied as he smiled.

"Wonderful." Arbor continued. "So— Corporate sent you out here to do _what_ exactly? I just received a memo, stating you would be arriving to assist the home, but with little detail as to what exactly you would be doing."

This was part of his cover; he'd already rehearsed his answer. "We've been revamping many of the nursing homes under our management," Jack explained. "I'm simply here to make sure everything is up to date with code, and to recommend any improvements I think you could benefit from, then report back to Corporate."

"Ah— so how long will you be here?" Arbor asked.

"As long as it takes..." Jack stated, grinning slightly.

Both men turned to face the door, as they heard someone rap. "Dan, I'm glad you're here. This is Jack Hanson; he is from Corporate to help us improve our facility," Mr. Arbor said.

The two men shook hands as they exchanged introductions. _Man, I hope this isn't the same Dan, for Sue's sake_, Jack thought to himself.

"Dan, would you mind showing Jack around the facility?" Mr. Arbor asked.

Dan happily accepted the offer. "I'd love to."

Jack caught an excited undertone in the man's voice, and knew that Dan was just waiting for such an opportunity to tell _someone _with authority about what exactly he had found.

As the two men began to walk off, Jack suddenly snapped his fingers and turned back into Mr. Arbor's office. "Oh, I forgot. There is a young lady coming shortly. She's part of the revamping program, in a way. We've found that many of the patients respond well to daily interaction with visitors and therapy dogs." Jack explained.

"Of course. I'll have you paged the moment she arrives," Arbor said.

"Thank you." Jack quickly caught up with Dan, who was waiting in the hall.


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven**

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Close to forty minutes later, Sue arrived at the front desk. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm supposed to meet with Jack Hanson this morning."

Without looking up, the woman said, "Yes, I'll page him for you. Take a seat and wait." She was rather disgusted at the interruption of her work flow.

Sue looked down at her four-legged friend. "Did she say something?" she asked softly. Levi let out a quick bark. "I thought she did. Thanks, buddy!" She gave the dog a quirky smile.

She rapped on the countertop slightly to get the woman's attention again. As the woman looked up, Sue smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said. Would you mind repeating that, please?" she asked.

The woman stared her directly in the eyes. "I _said_, Please take a seat. I'll page Mr. Hanson for you," she snapped.

"Thank you," Sue said, walking to the same chair Jack had sat in shortly before.


	12. Chapter 12

**Twelve

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**

While Dan and Jack were touring the facilities, Jack turned to the doctor. "So, fill me in on what's going on around here."

Dan glanced at Jack as he opened the door to a dark vacant room, "Here, we can use this office to speak in private."

Jack visually investigated the room. "Ok, great. Thanks."

Dan scanned the corridor before closing the door behind them. "Ok, this is what I've been able to find out so far. The doctors order tests and medication for the patient, but then cancel it. The patient never receives the services; but they keep it on the Medicare billing. When they get their payment, the nursing home makes extra money. I'm not certain who all is involved, but I know four Doctors are for sure, and I believe someone in the office as well."

Jack was flipping through a file lying on the desk, not bothering to look up. "Dr. Arbor?"

"No, I don't believe he's involved," Dan stated.

"What are the names of the others?" Jack asked as he pulled out a notepad to write down the information.

Dan rubbed his chin momentarily. "The others are Dr. Chad Mathews, Dr. Mike McGee, Dr. Trey Chung, and Dr. Samuel Harris. I'm not sure who in the office is involved."

"What about the nurses? Wouldn't they suspect something wasn't right, when a doctor ordered medication or tests and then, in their next breath, canceled it? Jack asked.

Dan looked as if he wasn't sure where Jack was going with that question. "The long-time nurses, they've probably figured something wasn't right. But they only follow orders. Many don't want to make waves, for fear of losing their jobs, so they look the other way and pretend they don't know."

"What about the patients; how are they being treated?" Jack continued with his line of questioning.

"Good— I mean I haven't seen any abuse, if that's what you mean," Dan replied.

Jack focused on Dan's eyes, hoping he could catch a sign of fear. "Yeah, that's what I mean. You mentioned before that some are undergoing tests that are unnecessary. What's that about?"

Dan began to pace the room. Jack could sense the doctor was becoming nervous with the line of questioning. "Yeah well, here's the thing. The tests are being ordered— like blood work, for instance. But the complete tests aren't being followed up on, so the insurance companies are being billed for tests that were never performed."

Jack folded his tablet neatly and tucked it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "Ok, perhaps you should finish showing me around, then I'll look over some of the billing orders that were sent in, see what I can find out."

The two men left the office and continued making rounds, as Dan introduced Jack to many of the other staff members and his fellow colleagues. They stopped near the staff lounge. "Would you like some coffee?" Dan asked.

"No thanks, I'm fine – had my 4 cups this morning already." Jack replied with a slight chuckle.

"You know, that many cups a day will eventually kill you. I'm a doctor; I should know," Dan said with a grin. Jack returned the grin accompanied with a chuckle.

"**_Jack Hanson, you're wanted in the reception area, Jack Hanson," _**echoed throughout the halls of the nursing home.

Dan glanced at his watch and laughed. "That's a record!" he exclaimed.

"A record?" Jack questioned.

Dan smiled. "You've been here less then an hour, and already you're a wanted man."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, well, I am expecting someone; she must have arrived." They walked toward the reception area.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thirteen

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**

The Golden Retriever lay at her feet while she read a magazine from the adjacent table. Startled by the shuffling of the two men walking down the hall, Levi leaped up.

Jack smiled. "Let her know we're here, buddy." Levi gently pawed Sue's leg to get her attention.

Sue laid the magazine back on the table and glanced down at Levi. "What is it?" she asked her furry companion.

Levi shifted his head towards the two approaching men. She fixed her stare on the tall man with Jack; at that moment in time, it was as if her memories were an uncontrolled, never-ending movie replaying in her mind, much as it had haunted her for years. She tried to take control back, her thoughts racing. _There is no way I can speak to him,_ was her final thought as the two men stood within inches of her.

"Dr. Dan Bauman, this is my partner; Sue Thomas." Jack said.

Dan's mind also began to race, recalling his thoughts, the fears, frustration, anger, and the one he wished he could have taken back, the _torment _he had put the young woman, now _this _woman standing before him, through. Composing himself, he extended his hand to shake hers; "Nice to see you again, Ms. Thomas," he replied, releasing almost a sigh of relief.

"_I must compose myself… I must compose myself…_" she continued to repeat over in her mind. Releasing a sigh, she shook Dan's hand. _Do I speak, shall I sign, or do I risk giving him the opportunity as before_? Seconds continued to pass; she released her grip from his, and never spoke a word, yet the expression on her face, the quirky grin she gave, spoke volumes.

As Jack watched the event unfold, he realized by his partner's reaction, and by Dan's words, that the doctor was the same person she had feared it to be back in the car. "Excuse us, Dan. Sue, can I have a word with you over here, please?" Jack said, as he gently lead her by the arm to a vacant room across the hall.

As they entered, Sue staggered, catching herself against the wall. Jack grabbed her arms in the event she would collapse. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

Sue could see the concern on his face, but was unable to voice her thoughts. _Yes, I'm fine_ she signed.

Jack gave her a look. "You're not fine. Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something from me?" He said, helping her into the chair next to the door.

_FINE NO,_ she signed. She laid her head against the back wall; as she rubbed her face, she released a sigh of distress.

Jack knelt beside her. "Is that the same guy you were afraid it would be?" He asked softly.

_YES,_ she replied, nodding slightly as she signed.

"I'm going to pull you off this detail. I'll have you stay in the office with Bobby and Myles," He remarked.

"N-no," she struggled to say as she tried to regain her composure. "I mean, I'll be fine."

"Sue, I saw how you broke down out there. It's ok, really. We all can't be directly involved all the time," Jack explained.

He didn't give her time to argue. "I'll take you back to the office now. When you walk out this door, you hold your head high and walk straight to the car. I'll meet you there in less than five minutes, alright?" he said. He stroked the top of her thigh lightly, then patted her knee as he got up.

Dan watched the two exit the vacant room, his eyes still fixated on Sue, though she didn't acknowledge him further. She exited the double glass doors and soon faded from his view. He shifted his attention to Jack, who was eyeing him with a warning glare.

"Ms. Thomas wasn't feeling well," Jack said firmly, holding in his desire to ask what the hell this man did so wrong, that Sue would behave in such a manner. "I'm going to take her back to the office. I'll be back first thing in the morning to start our investigation. – I'll also have another agent with me, acting as my secretary."

"I understand." Dan said. He watched the agent stalk out the doors, then sighed heavily and returned to his patients.


	14. Chapter 14

**Fourteen

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**

Jack sat down slowly in the driver's seat of the car, gripping the steering wheel; after a moment, he glanced at Sue. He could see she was lost in thought, and the single tear that rolled over her cheek was enough indication he'd done right to remove her. He reached over, gently holding her folded hands in her lap. When she glanced over at him, he smiled. "If you want or need to talk about this, remember I'm here to lend a working ear."

She nodded, then released a slight chuckle. "I'm glad one of us has a _working_ ear."

Jack could detect the sarcasm in her tone, and decided a temporary retreat might be wise. He was uncertain if he should pursue what Dan had said or done prior in his colleague's life. But halfway back to the office, his curiosity got the better of him.

He reached over, barely touching her arm, and was a little shocked at the fire in her eyes as she turned to him. "I know this is probably none of my business," he started, "but I have to ask… What happened between you and Dan?" His eyes quickly returned to the road ahead.

"You're right— it's none of your business," Sue snapped, and turned away to look out the window.

Jack was stunned; she was quite upset over having to see Dan again, after so many years, that was obvious. But what had the doctor done to her, to make her so cold? _Cold is not a normal reaction for her,_ he thought. He wanted nothing more right now than to hold his friend tightly in his arms, to save her from the pain she was feeling.

Moment's later, a soft sigh reached his ears. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to snap at you," she said in a sincere tone.

"Oh, you snapped at me?" he chuckled.

"Yes, well, at least I _think_ I snapped at you. Or should I say, what I _attempted_ to do." She smiled as she said it.

Jack nodded slightly. "Yes, you snapped at me— very well, too, I might add," he grinned.

She let out an explosive sigh. "I might as well tell you what happened, but can we stop somewhere? I'd prefer not go back to the office just yet."

"Sure, how about we stop for coffee, and enjoy it at the park?" Jack said.

Sue smiled and moved her right hand into a "P" handshape, her palm facing left, then circled it above the left "P" hand, with her palm facing up. Then she moved her right hand downward to touch both middle fingers together in front of her chest.

Jack stared at her movement with a perplexed look. "Say what?" he exclaimed. His facial expression broke the tension, and she couldn't hold in her laughter. "What's so funny?" he asked, slightly confused.

"If you could have seen your face, it tells a thousand words." She remarked, lightening her laughter. "I said, _PERFECT_." Sue explained.

His head lifted slightly as realization dawned. "Ah, Okay!" he said, returning Sue's grin. "You'll have to show me that sign again, someday."

Sue smiled, touched again that Jack and the others at the office were the first people she had met who actually wanted to take time to learn the world she lived in— some more slowly than others, but it was wonderful all the same.


	15. Chapter 15

**Fifteen

* * *

**

Jack and Sue walked through the park, sipping their coffee. Jack spotted a nice quiet bench off the beaten path; it was overlooking the goose-populated lake. "This okay?" he asked as he pointed to the bench. She nodded in agreement.

As they sat there, neither knew exactly where to start. Finally, with a great sigh, Sue broke the silence. "I already told you Dan and I knew each other back in Junior High and High School." When Jack nodded, she continued. "Well, Dan was quite involved with sports, hanging out with the jocks mostly." She found she had to swallow before she could continue. "Wow, this is harder then I thought it would be."

"Take your time," he said, trying to comfort her.

She sighed. "It seemed we always had the same classes together. It didn't matter if I signed or spoke, someone always had some smart remark or mocking gesture for me."

"What type of remarks?" Jack asked curiously.

"You should have asked what they _didn't _do or say— the list would be shorter," she said, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Ah. Continue, please," he said.

Sue thought perhaps this wasn't the time or place, or if there would _ever_ be a good time, to tell Jack about how she was tormented during school. Perhaps that part of her life was best left untold. Taking a deep breath, swallowing her pride and fears, she could only blurt out, "You know how _boys_ are." She tried laughing it off as she said it.

"Oh, you aren't getting off that easy, Ms. Thomas," Jack exclaimed.

_WHAT,_ she signed, raising a brow at him.

"You know _what_ I'm talking about. How can I understand you better if you don't help me by explaining?" Jack said, reaching over to take her hand.

Her eyes closed momentarily as she collected her thoughts once more, praying she could gather the courage to release the words without giving in to the feelings of the memories brought back. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"T-they would make fun of my speech. If I signed at all around them, they would mimic me, then laugh, calling me 'deaf and dumb.' I think they got a real kick almost daily, trying to take one of my aids, or whoever was sitting behind me in class would lower the volume. It just wasn't worth it – so I stopped wearing them." She glanced over at Jack; she could see that he was trying very hard not to express his shock.

"What else happened?" Jack asked, thinking that he probably didn't really want to know.

"I had a few friends in school, but most of them treated me like I had the plague. I was rarely invited to parties; if I was it, was to be the mocking showcase."

She paused for a moment, sipping her coffee, trying to continue, pushing aside the desire to cry. "The jocks would come barreling down the hallway— my friends told me later. They would yell, 'Coming through! Move, or we'll crush you,' knowing full well I was in their path. And since they knew I couldn't hear them, they would enjoy shoving me up against the lockers as they passed."

"Dan was involved with these incidents?" He asked, finally allowing a deep scowl to form on his face.

She hung her head and signed _YES_. "Oh, it gets better…" She glanced at Jack and saw that her intended sarcasm had come through loud and clear. "Another thing they seemed to enjoy was to drop their books next to my desk. I was usually able to hear it, and they got a big kick out of watching me jump out of my skin."

"Wait. You _heard_ books dropping?" Jack asked.

Sue grinned slightly. "Yes, Jack. If a noise is loud enough, even with my loss, I _can_ hear it. It's not clear like what you hear, but I hear it just the same, or at least I _think_ I hear it." He nodded, and she continued. "Anyhow, they thought it was funny, and would remark, 'See she's not deaf, she just thinks she's better than us.'"

She took a deep breath. "There's more, but I think you get the idea."

Jack was silent for a moment, fighting for words to describe his feelings. "So what else did Dan have a part in?" He asked as calmly as he could.

She sighed again. "Dan… well after a couple of years of his friends enjoying themselves at my expense, he finally stepped in and began to defend me a little. We attempted to get to know each another. Obviously, it didn't work very well. We went out on a few dates, nothing big… dinner and a movie was about it."

"So Dan wasn't that bad of a guy after all?" The dark-haired agent looked a bit perplexed.

"Well, you decide. We stopped trying to communicate with each other after his friends thought it would be funny to lock me in one of the lockers after school. Dan was with them, and he did nothing to stop them. From what I was able to see, he joined in as well, laughing at me once the locker door was shut." She was straining to hold back the tears with all she had inside.

Jack lowered his face into his hands and then ran a hand through his hair, sifting the thoughts racing his mind at what she had just told him. Suddenly, he bolted from his seat, his face a blur to Sue as he paced quickly in front of her, raving like a lunatic, his anger obviously overpowering him at this point.

She watched as he continued to pace, but he at least paced in a direction that kept him facing her most of the time. "Where— your friends, why—stop those jerks?" Jack ranted. When he realized that Sue hadn't answered him, he ground to a halt, glancing at her and throwing his hands up. "_Well_?"

She furrowed her brow, as she cocked her head in confusion. "What?" She laughed a little, feeling secure enough with him to allow her true self to shine though. "Jack you were pacing and ranting— how could I have known what you said?"

Jack blinked; then he stopped and sat down again, sighing to regain his composure. _ME SORRY_, he signed. "I asked where were your friends? Why didn't anyone try to stop what they did?"

She shrugged. "Some tried, but none were successful. They usually were attacked in the process. I didn't think it was right to involve them. So I asked them to stop; I would deal with it," she explained.

"Oh, yes; I see how well _that_ worked," Jack remarked, the dark fire in his eyes relaying the sarcasm that must have been in his voice.

"Jack, I did the best I could at the time," She defended softly as the tears began to escape.

Jack's expression told her he was mentally kicking himself for his outburst. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm infuriated with what you told me; how _anyone_ could be that cruel is beyond me," he said as he took her hand.

Sue shrugged again. "It's okay. I've learn to move beyond what happened. There are still people today who act like that towards those who are deaf. Unfortunately, there always will be," she said. Jack could only respond by shaking his head.

Wanting to let him know she was really okay, she smiled. "Mr. Hudson!" she exclaimed, waiting for him to look at her.

Jack was startled out of his thoughts. "_Mr._ Hudson? What's _that_ about?" he asked, returning the smile as he gazed at her. Then he was stunned when she quickly leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. "Whoa…! As our good friend Bobby would say," he replied.

She gave him a subtle smile. "I just wanted to thank you. Talking about everything really helped," she said as she leaned back against the bench.

"Was my pleasure. I told you I had a _working ear_ to lend," he said, grinning.

"Yes, you did." She took another breath, making her decision. "I don't want you to take me off the case. I… I… think I can handle working around Dan."

"Are you sure? I can bring in Tara instead," Jack told her.

Blonde hair swung as she shook her head. "No, we're adults now, not children. This time I will handle it myself."

"If you're certain, then I'm behind you all the way," he said, as he reached into his pocket; he pulled out his cell phone and turned it back on.

Sue furrowed her brow as she watched him. "You turned off your cell?" she questioned.

Jack nodded slightly, showing a bit of embarrassment. "Yes, I figured you needed to talk about what happened. Anything from the office could wait. This was more important," he said.

Sue could find no words to express how she felt. She could only sign _THANK YOU_.

Jack signed _WELCOME_ in return, then spoke. "We'd best get back to the office," he grinned.


	16. Chapter 16

**Sixteen

* * *

**

The following morning, Jack met with Sue in the FBI garage. "Would you like to ride with me over to the nursing home this morning?" Jack asked, holding open the passenger car door for her.

"I'd love to," she stated, then signed _GOOD MORNING_.

Jack bowed his head slightly. "Same to you," he said as he was getting in the car.

Both remained in the car after arriving at the nursing home, neither able to speak, neither knowing how the morning and the confrontation with Dan would go. "You ready?" Jack asked.

Sue sighed, "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she replied. They exited Jack's car, and walked into the nursing home.

Dan was at the receptionist's desk, filling out a chart; he saw the two walk in from the corner of his eye, and he set his pen down as he looked up. His thoughts began to race again. _This time, I have to tell her_. "Good morning," he said. After both Sue and Jack returned the greeting, he added, "Feeling better today, Ms. Thomas?"

Sue looked at Jack, clueless to what Dan meant.

Realizing he hadn't told her the reason he'd given Dan for her leaving yesterday, Jack replied for her. "Yes Dan, she's feeling much better today. We really need to get started now."

"I realize you need to get started, but…" He gazed over in Sue's direction. "I really need to speak to you." He then signed_ PLEASE _.

Her brows shot up; she was floored by his change in behavior. "Sure, we can talk," she said, with hesitation in her voice, glancing at Jack.

Jack wasn't sure he wanted to allow her alone with Dan. _ME GO? _he signed.

Sue shook her head slightly, signing _NO ME FINE_. She then gently squeezed his hand, showing her appreciation for him wanting to protect her.

He pointed to an open area with a small table and some coffee. "If you need me, I'll be right over there waiting for you."

Sue nodded, turning to follow Dan into the side office. Jack watched steadily until he no longer could see her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Seventeen

* * *

**

Sue immediately found it difficult to be alone in the small room with Dan; her desire was to call for Jack. But she knew that she needed to tackle this confrontation on her own.

As Dan walked closer, she shifted back slightly. He knew she was uncomfortable and he stopped. He didn't want to cause more pain, but to help heal the pain he had already inflicted. Since she didn't know that yet, he kept his distance.

Sue was anxious to get out of the room as quickly as possible. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

Dan sighed deeply, trying to collect his thoughts. He had rehearsed this speech so many times before, in case he ever had the opportunity to tell her. Yet now his mind seemed to have gone completely blank.

He sucked in a breath, having no clue what he was going to say. He knew he had to just blurt it all out, as quickly as he could, before his fear could render him paralyzed. "Sue, there's really not much I can say except that I'm sorry. I was, at best, a jackass."

His words were a blur; she only was able to comprehend a little of what he'd said. The taste of fear slipped over her tongue at the thought of asking him to repeat himself, recalling the mocking she endured years ago. But she'd come too far to back down now. "Dan, would you mind repeating that, this time slowing down a bit?" She refused to give him the satisfaction of being pleasant.

"You really know how to make it hard on a guy trying to apologize," he blurted.

"I think you did that all on your own." Sue replied, not realizing what he'd really said.

Dan lowered his head slightly. "You're right. I did do it to myself."

Growing impatient, Sue snapped at him, "Are you going to repeat what you said or not? I do have work to do."

Dan nodded slowly, his expression that of a small boy. "I said, there's not much more I can say, other than I'm sorry. I was, at best, a jackass." Then he added, "I know this doesn't negate what I did – but you at least are owed an apology."

The sincerity in his expression floored her again; now it was her turn to fight for words to reply. _What do I do? Do I forgive him? _

Yet as she continued to reflect back, she realized she _had_ forgiven him. He was a boy, caught up in peer pressure. Forgiveness didn't mean she had to forget, but she knew he wasn't there to cause her harm or distress any longer. She sighed deeply. "Dan, I hope and pray you've never done to anyone else, what you did to me – but I do forgive you." She said, finally feeling some relief after so many years.

Dan shook his head emphatically. "NO! I've never done anything like that to anyone else, I swear." He took another breath. "I mean…"

Sue cut him off. "I know what you mean. I always thought you were a decent person; you just got caught up in the wrong crowd and succumbed to peer pressure."

Dan was amazed; this surely wasn't the same timid girl he once knew in school. This woman who stood before him had such high spirit and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Again he was at a loss for words. "Do you think there is a chance we could put the past behind us? try to start over and attempt to be…?" He stopped speaking and signed FRIENDS.

Sue stood in awe, could Dan had really changed this much, she thought. Feeling comfortable enough, being near the boy who once, made her life so miserable. She signed, _YES ME LIKE WE FRIENDS _.

Dan signed as he spoke. _THANK YOU_. He let out a quick sigh, almost afraid to continue their conversation with his nerves rattled as they were from his confession. Gathering his courage, he said, "I guess we had better get out there. Jack is waiting on us." He turned toward the door.

Sue grabbed his arm, stopping him. "When did you learn to sign?" she had to ask.

"The truth?" he countered.

"That's always a good place to start." She was now able to crack a slight grin.

Dan smiled. "Well…" he said, hanging his head slightly but not enough to be out of her sightline, "I guess going to med school made me wake up– no, grow up. I soon learned I didn't like myself much, didn't like what I had become, I guess is what I'm trying to say."

"If it's any consolation, I definitely can see a change in you now. But you still haven't answered my question," she said, as she raised her brow and smiled.

Dan chuckled slightly. "Thanks," he said. Thinking for a moment, he continued. "Oh right, when did I learn to sign?" Sue nodded, a gestured _Yes _on her face. "Well, I got this job here while I was still in med school. It was my job to check patients at night, to figure out if they needed a med change, that sort of thing. I soon learned there were several patients that were hard of hearing, and some that had been deaf most their lives. Some knew a bit of signing; not many, I found."

Sue nodded her understanding.

"I have to admit, it was my thoughts of you that led me to seek out a signing instructor to come here and help the patients who needed it."

Sue tried to hide her smile, but was unable to.

Dan continued. "After a few months of several of them attending the classes we started, we had many others finally come out who admitted they knew how to sign. We found many who had been active, very active, in the Deaf Community back in the 50's and 60's."

Sue had a perplexed look about her, "Did you say 15 and 16, or 50 and 60?"

Dan smirked slightly as he signed the numbers for her. "I said50 – 60."

"Thanks."

"Uh huh. Anyhow, since I had to be there at the classes, I figured I might as well learn myself, so I began to participate," he explained.

Sue displayed a cocky grin as she shook her finger at him. "But that's good— deaf people need doctors, too, you know."

Dan shut his eyes momentarily and nodded. "I know. I figured I screwed up with you; I was trying to make myself believe learning to sign and helping here would somehow make up for what I did," he sighed. His breath came out in a nervous laugh. "Stupid reason, huh?"

Sue reached down, taking Dan's hand without fear. "No, it's not stupid. I actually think it was a very nice thing you did. Dan, nothing will ever be able to remove what you and your friends did, but you can learn from your mistakes, which I think you have."

He nodded slightly as he signed, _THANK YOU _.

Sue gestured a _ANYTIME _facial expression as she smiled. She began to turn.

Dan stopped her. "I do need to tell you something else, since we're being open here," he said, frowning.

Sue signed, _WHAT? _

The doctor sighed. "I was involved with the other doctors up till recently."

Her brows furrowed. "Oh, Dan, please tell me I really didn't see you say what I think you said."

He hung his head in shame, then slowly lifted it back to look Sue in the eye. "Yes, I was stupid. But I didn't realize what they had done. I was told in the beginning that the extra money was bonuses from excessive billing."

Sue sighed as she shook her head. "Jack is going to flip when he hears this," she thought out loud.

"I figured as much. But I figured also I should come clean now instead of hiding it," Dan replied.

Sue raised a brow and quirked her lips to the side. "You have anything else that we might need to know?" she sighed.

Dan grinned, releasing a slight chuckle. "No, that's all I've done or know," he stated. "But I suppose that's enough to get me yelled at."

Sue nodded; for whatever reason, she believed him. "Let's go meet with Jack."


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm soooo sorry... I got busy with everything and totally forgot about this.**

* * *

OoO

* * *

**Eighteen**

Jack sat in the outer lobby, trying to read a magazine. Although he'd only just met Dan, his mind raced with anger over the hurt the man had caused, so many years ago, to a woman he cared for very much. Each passing moment he waited, fearing he might hear her yell for him, but praying she and Dan could resolve their differences.

He was so deep in thought that he jumped when his phone rang. "Hudson." He tossed the magazine on the nearby table. "What did you find, Tara?"

"Some rather interesting developments, Jack. It seems the good doctor Dan's hands aren't so clean after all," Tara said.

"How so?" He sat straight up in the chair, glancing at the closed door where Sue and Dan were.

"Seems he was also caught up in defrauding the Health Care System until about 5 months ago when he backed out, according to his bank records."

"His bank records? Where are you going with this, Tara?" Jack asked.

She took a breath before answering. "Well, his name was listed with the others prior on the medical billing statements. His bank account reflected large sums of deposits, just like the others. Then about 5 months ago, it all ceased, both the billing statements and the large deposits."

"Thanks Tara – that might just explain why the good doctor turned in his buddies." Jack hung up and turned just in time to see the door across the hall open. Sue and Dan walked out and over to him. From their expressions, he couldn't quite tell how the conversation had gone.

Jack gazed into Sue's eyes as he signed, _YOU OKAY? _

Sue nodded gently, then drew in a breath and glanced at her companion. "Jack, I think Dan has something he needs to tell you."

Dan's brows shot up. "I do? You can't tell him?" There was a wan smile as he said it.

Sue shook her head, a slight smile appearing. "No, I think you should tell him."

"Well, someone tell me, please." Jack was starting to get annoyed.

"Uh…" Dan looked distinctly uncomfortable, but he dove in anyway. "I'm sure you would have found out eventually. I figured it was best if I come clean now."

"Come clean about what?" Jack already knew the answer, but he didn't have to let the doctor know that.

Dan hung his head for a moment and took a deep breath. Slowly releasing it, he began. "I was involved in this scam, too. Not from the beginning—they brought me in sometime later. I also never was told the true nature of what they were doing."

Jack's brows furrowed even he drew back a bit. "Then when and how did you find out about this scam?"

Like a child caught in the cookies, Dan shoved both hands in his pockets and started to explain. "Well, they continued to ask me to make sureI was ordering certain tests on the patients. Tests I knew were not necessary. But I didn't question them right off. Then, as weeks and months began to pass, I guess you can say my conscience got the better of me. I started nosing around in some paperwork I found."

"What did the paperwork tell you?" Jack asked.

"Well, the first thing it told me was which doctors were involved, since only five of us had the same type of billing items."

"It was the same four you told me about the other day?" Jack asked as he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out the tablet where he had written the names.

"Yes, those four, plus myself." Dan sighed, "I'm the only one so far that I know of that has pulled out."

"Perhaps we can do this in an office, sitting down?" Sue asked. Both men gave her such a perplexed look that she laughed. "I'm getting a crick in my neck from playing _Who's Talking Now_."

"Why didn't you say something before?" Jack asked.

Sue grinned. "Well, neither of you would be quiet long enough for me to say anything before." Jack slightly snorted at her, making her smile even wider. "…And men say women are bad about gabbing."

"Okay, you have a point, as usual." Jack turned to Dan. "Do you have a spare room with a table in it, where we can finish this?"

Dan paused for a few moments to think, "I honestly think it might look a bit odd if we used a room here. People would likely be very nosy to such an intense conversation. I'd suggest we continue this over lunch."

"Lunch?" Sue repeated.

Jack wagged his finger in the air, "You have a point, going to lunch together won't be as suspicious if we are in a room talking."

"I would think that is more suspicious." Sue stated.

"Not really. The good Doctor kindly offered to take the new administrator and his friend to lunch as a welcoming gesture," Jack explained.

"Now who has the _good points_?" Sue smirked as she said it.

Sue glanced over Jack's shoulder and saw a short, plump middle-aged man coming towards them. She waved slightly to get Jack's attention. "Someone's coming, behind you."

Jack and Dan turned slightly to catch a glimpse. As the man drew closer, Jack raised his voice a bit. "Well, thank you, Dr. Bauman. We would love to have lunch with you." He glanced at Sue. "Wouldn't we?"

She'd only caught the last half of Jack's question, but managed to figure it out. "Yes, yes, we would."

"Hello again, Mr. Hanson." The man smiled as he reached them.

"Mr. Arbor."

"Dr. Bauman, have you completed giving Mr. Hanson a tour of our facilities?" Mr. Arbor asked, glancing at Sue. "And who is this lovely lady?"

Jack stepped up. "Yes, as a matter of fact, we've just finished the tour. This is Sue Thomas, a good friend of mine, who works with the elderly, to keep them interactive."

"Well, I must say it's wonderful to meet you, Ms. Thomas." Arbor gently shook her hand.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you as well," Sue returned.

"What's this about keeping them interactive?" Mr. Arbor questioned.

"It's been tested. When elderly patients are visited regularly they tend to remain more alert and happy. It's good for their state of mind," Dan explained.

"Oh yes, I believe I read something about that in a journal not to long ago." Mr. Arbor put his hand in his pocket. "I think that's an excellent idea." He paused briefly, thinking. "Jack, has anyone given you an office yet?"

The agent shook his head. "Hmm, no I don't believe they have."

"Well, why don't you take the one at the end of the hallway, on the right?" Arbor pointed down the long hallway.

"Sure, that would be just fine." Jack said, glancing at the half-visible door of his new office.

Arbor placed his hand on Dan's shoulder. "Why don't you see Jack gets all setup with whatever he needs?"

"Sure, we can do that right after lunch, Jack?" Dan said, glancing at Jack.

"Lunch?" Arbor looked bewildered.

Jack smiled. "Yes. Dan graciously offered to take Sue and me out to lunch. Kind of a welcoming for me." Jack eyed Dan. "Sure after lunch is perfect."

Arbor shook out of his daze. "Oh… magnificent suggestion. Please go, have fun. Things can wait till you return."

The three gathered their coats and walked out the doors of the nursing home. On their way to the parking lot, Dan and Jack discussed if they should take one vehicle or two. Since they weren't bothering to face her, Sue ignored them until she noticed Jack staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Well, one or two?" he replied.

Sue furrowed her brow and shook her head. "One or two what?" By this time she was becoming slightly agitated.

Dan raised his brows. "Cars. Which should we take one or two cars?"

"One is fine."

"Great, one it is. We can take ours." Jack walked toward his car in the parking lot.


	19. Chapter 19

**I am SOOOOOOOOO sorry for dropping the ball on this one... but we're back in action now, and I'll try to do much better.

* * *

****Nineteen

* * *

**

"So, what do the two of you feel like eating? Any preference?" Dan's voice came from behind Jack, who was driving.

Jack glanced to Sue, who was checking her messages. He placed his hand on her shoulder until she glanced toward him, her expression asking _What?_ "Dan asked if we had a preference on what we'd like for lunch."

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Whatever the two of you would like is fine with me."

"Burgers good for you, Dan?" Jack asked.

The doctor chuckled. "Fine by me. Little clogged arteries keep me in business."

Softly touching Sue's shoulder again, Jack asked, "Burgers okay?"

Sue signed _YES FINE _as she continued to read her email from Tara.

A few minutes later the three stood at the entrance of the restaurant; a waitress signaled for them to follow her. As she placed the menus down, Jack remembered the seating arrangement to make it easier for Sue to follow along. As Dan sat down, Jack stood across from him and pulled out the chair slightly, motioning Sue to sit. Jack walked around the table and sat next to Dan.

Dan looked at Jack a bit oddly. "I'd much rather have the lady sit next to me," he said, grinning as he glanced at Sue.

Jack slapped Dan's shoulder lightly. "But then she wouldn't be able to follow the conversation as well," he said, chuckling slightly as he looked at Sue.

She could only thank him with her eyes. She knew he understood when he nodded slightly in return.

After reading the menu, Sue laid hers on the placemat and glanced at Jack. "The Swiss Burger and a salad sounds good."

"Yeah, it does. I think I'll have that as well." Jack looked over at Dan. "What peaks your interest?"

Dan rubbed at his chin. "I think I'll have the patty melt," he said, glancing up. "Here comes the waitress."

As the waitress approached the table, Sue could see she was chomping a wad of gum– something that made reading lips ten times harder. The waitress pointed to Jack. "What would you like?"

Jack placed his order. The waitress then pointed to Sue and repeated the question. Sue glanced towards Jack, and he could see she had not understood the woman's words. He started to order for her until she motioned for him to stop with her eyes. She then placed her own order.

The waitress finished up with Dan, writing the final touches of their orders with her head down. "It will be right up."

Jack watched Sue roll her eyes slightly in disgust. He understood her frustration; he knew she would never allow Dan to see her at a disadvantage. She was too proud. And he knew he hadn't helped— he should have simply signed ORDER to her.

There was a momentary silence after the waitress left. "Well, let's get started. Dan what else can you tell us about the billing issues?" Jack said.

Dan was staring at Sue; lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear Jack. "Sue, I just want to tell you how wrong I was again. You have come so far, and proved everyone so wrong." Dan said, not realizing she wasn't watching him.

Sue was half-gazing at Jack, more looking out the window, thinking about the email she had received from Tara. Jack touched her arm slightly. "Lover boy's talking to you", he said with a smirk.

Sue frowned and turned her attention to Dan. "I'm sorry, Dan, I was thinking about an email I got from the office. What did you say?"

Dan was becoming slightly embarrassed at this point. "Never mind, it wasn't important," he mumbled. Then he turned his attention to Jack. "Did you ask about the billing issues?"

Jack glanced at Sue; the image of steam coming from her ears was almost too real, from the anger brewing in her eyes. She turned toward him; they were comfortable enough that she expected he would tell her what Dan had refused to repeat.

But Jack looked at Dan, a faint smile playing over his lips. "I suggest you tell her what you said. I learned long ago to remove the words _never mind _from my vocabulary."

Dan hung his head. _Now you've blown it. You made a fool of yourself_. He sighed and looked up at her again. "I said, I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am, and how far you've come proving all of us wrong."

Sue sat for a moment, absorbing what Dan had said. "I know you're sorry, but please don't patronize me." She glanced quickly at Jack, almost looking for approval in her words. The dark-haired agent simply grinned and winked at her.

They discussed further the billing issues as they ate. After they finished, Jack leaned back slightly in his chair. "Tomorrow I'll have another agent with me, posing as my secretary. She will attempt to gain access to the billing records, so we can examine them further."

At that moment Jack's cell phone rang. He answered it and had a brief conversation. When he hung up, he responded to the questioning glance Sue was giving him. "It was Myles. I need to run back to the office. Why don't you stay and get started on what you need to do?"

Sue was a bit concerned, not completely at ease yet being alone with Dan. She felt comfortable with Jack beside her. The image of a knight in shining armor, ready to protect her when she needed it the most, came up suddenly in her mind. _Good grief, you're not some damsel in distress. And Dan's not a dragon. _She gathered her courage. "Okay. I can get started with the interviewing the patients."

"Great. I'll be back for you about say, 3 or 4 pm?" Jack said, glancing at his watch between words.

Sue nodded. "That's fine. It should give me enough time to get a good start." She pulled slightly on Levi's leash as a signal to the Golden Retriever that break time was over.

He dropped a couple of bills on the table as a tip. "Alright, let's head out. I'll drop you two off."


	20. Chapter 20

**My apologies... I will try to get back steady on this one...**

* * *

OoO**

* * *

**

**Twenty**

After Jack dropped Dan and Sue off at the front of the Home, they entered the two large smoked glass doors. Walking towards the lobby area, Dan tapped Sue's arm. "So what is your job in this case exactly?"

She shivered as she felt his hand on her arm, remembering the torment yet again. She did what she could to surrender those thoughts, wondering if at some point in her life they would cease. She took a deep breath before replying. "I'm supposed to be interviewing the patients to see if they've seen or heard anything pertaining to the bogus tests and medications ordered."

"Interviewing them how?" Dan asked, looking slightly perplexed.

Sue could only laugh to herself. "I'll be taking Levi around with me, visiting the patients in the Day Room."

Raising his brows, Dan replied, "Oh, I understand now." Sue nodded, and he smiled. "Good thinking; the elderly love visitors, as they love to talk and talk."

Sue sighed. "Well, I best get started; time is wasting away. Can you point me to the Day Room, please?"

"Sure. Just follow this hallway; at the end, turn right, and it's three doors down. You can't miss it; it has a double door entrance."

Making sure she had the directions correct, Sue repeated them back, unconsciously signing as she spoke. "At the end of this hallway, I go right, three doors down?"

Dan spoke and signed, replying, _"Yes, exactly right."_

Sue had all but forgotten he had taken time to learn to sign. She laughed softly in embarrassment. "I forgot you knew sign."

"I was beginning to wonder if you ever were going to sign in front of me," he remarked, giving her a gentle grin.

"What do you mean?" Sue was a bit confused at this statement.

"I just figured you would sign more, is all."

She slightly scrunched her nose, not exactly sure of his statement's meaning. She thought for a moment. _I wish Jack was here, he would explain to me in much simpler terms – he seems to know exactly what to say. _"So, you think I don't sign enough?" Sue twisted his words into her own question in order to get a better explanation.

"I guess it's from being around the others here who are deaf, since they sign all the time. Seeing you more vocal, for me, is out of the norm," he explained.

_I'm glad he stopped beating around the bush and finally got to the point. _"Oh, yes, I can see that," she remarked.

"But then again, I was afraid, too, that you didn't feel comfortable signing around me, after everything that had happened in school," Dan blurted.

"Well, I won't lie. The thought did cross my mind."

Dan tried not to chuckle. "I would hope you would know I'm past that type of behavior by now."

Sue gave him a subtle smile. "I would hope we both are."

He placed his hand on her upper arm. Giving it a slight rub, he felt Sue quiver, but dismissed it for a moment. "You best get in there to start mingling. I have work I need to do as well. If I don't catch you before Jack gets here, I'm glad we're at least able to attempt to start with a clean slate."

"I am too." She nodded and grinned slightly. "If anything, we'll be back tomorrow at 8 a.m., so we'll see you then."

Dan watched as Sue soon disappeared around the corner, heading towards the Day Room.

Sue stood at the entrance of the Day Room with Levi. As they both glanced around, Sue watched the dozen people for a few moments. She looked down at Levi. "You ready, boy?" Watching the dog's head movement, she knew he had agreed. With that, she proceeded into the room.

Sue spun around as she felt a slight tap on her arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to startle you, miss," the woman said.

Sue observed the woman who was standing there; she was all in white. "No, it's alright. I just didn't notice you were a – nurse?"

"Yes," the woman said. "I'm Norma Peat; I'm the Day Room nurse supervisor. Is there someone in particular you are looking for?"

"Not really. I'm Sue Thomas. Mr. Hudson, one of the new administrators, hired me for Pet Therapy for the patients," Sue told her.

"I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with an administrator by the name of Mr. Hudson. I'll have to get this information verified." The nurse began to walk away.

Sue blurted, "You can verify with Dr. Bauman."

Dan heard his name from outside the room and entered. "What seems to be the problem?"

Norma walked up to him. "This woman said an administrator by the name Mr. Hudson had hired her for Pet Therapy."

Dan glanced over at Sue, who stood with a silly grin. "Yes, Mr. Hudson is a new Administrator. I met with Ms. Thomas a few moments ago. Everything has been cleared already."

Norma glanced to Sue, then back to Dan, shaking her head. "Oy! I just love the communication in this place." She then turned and swiftly walked out of the Day Room.

Dan walked over to Sue. "I'm sorry. Arbor should have said something about this to the charge nurse."

Sue still had her silly grin, but found it hard not to chuckle. "Wow, and here I thought I had a bad communication problem."

Dan could only smile at her comment. "I'll do a few introductions for you, to help get you started. Sometimes the patients are leery of strangers."

"I'd appreciate that," Sue replied, as they walked towards the center of the room.

Sue saw Dan take a deep breath, words flying from his mouth as he exhaled. "Folks, this is Sue Thomas and her dog, Levi. They're going to be visiting here daily to keep you company for a few hours. Please make her feel welcome. If anyone needs me, just have the nurse page me."

Dan leaned into Sue, "So, how was that?"

Sue grimaced at him. "I think you should have taken speech and debate in school."

He stood upright, placing his hands on his hips, "I DID!"

She raised her brows. "Oh?"

Dan began to laugh. "Yeah, but I failed the class miserably."

Sue joined in with a chuckle. "Ah, well that explains a lot."

Arriving back at the office, Jack walked through the entrance, asking, "Okay, what's up?"

"My grandmother has something to tell you," Lucy said as she poured a glass of water from the cooler. "She came by to take me to lunch, and overheard part of our conversation. She has some news concerning the Sunnyside Nursing Home I think you'll find interesting."

She walked over to her grandmother, handing her the glass of water. "Grandma, you remember Jack, don't you?"

Alice Dotson took a sip of the water. "Yes. Hello, Jack. How are you this fine day?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Mrs. Dotson. Lucy tells me you have something to tell me about Sunnyside."

"Yes, that's right. I had a friend who stayed there, Mildred Weston. She was there for about six months; her damn kids stuck her there so they wouldn't have to deal with her. I tell you, it's hell getting old and having your kids treating you like an old piece of furniture that's lost it's usefulness," Grandma explained.

"You'll never have to worry about that, Grandma, I promise," Lucy said with earnest.

"You're such a sweet child, Lucy; I know I can count on you. Thank you, baby."

"Mrs. Dotson, you were saying?" At Alice's confused expression, he prompted. "About your friend at Sunnyside?"

"Oh, yes, Mildred... Well, as I was saying: her kids put her at The Sunnyside Nursing Home. Mildred told me that she was diagnosed with Osteoporosis, which is, as you know, a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. Did you know it usually occurs typically in the hip, spine, and wrist?" She stopped a moment to sip more of her water.

"Well, Mildred was scheduled for a special test called a bone density test. It can measure bone density in various sites of the body. But she never got it; they told her that it wasn't necessary. Then, a few weeks later, she broke her hip. She was laid up a good 3 months before her daughter received a strange call from her insurance agent. Said that there was a billing problem with the bone density test she had received, but not to worry; they were working it out with the center."

Taking another sip of water, she continued. "Her daughter asked the center what it was all about; said her mom never received the test the insurance company had been billed for. The billing center sent her to administration... the error was eventually discovered and cleared up, but not without a lot of frustration on the family's part."

Jack stooped down, coming to eye level with the elderly woman. "So, did the Center admit any guilt on their part?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Twenty One**

Dan had left Sue alone in the Day Room. She seemed to be having no trouble with communicating to the elderly patients who were already in there. Some had been reading, others knitting, a few watching the mid-day news. Whatever they had been doing, they all had stopped to come meet Levi.

Sue quickly realized after conversing with a few of the elderly, that they were extremely difficult to understand. Many were missing teeth, which distorted their lip movements. One gentleman had a wad of chewing tobacco in his cheek; another gnawed on a coffee stirrer. Sue chuckled to herself, as she pulled out her Blackberry, clicking on the recorder. _Well I'll ask the questions and Tara can transcribe it – seems only fair, since I lip read the non-audio tapes _.

Sue continued to mingle with the elderly, all of them seeming ecstatic to have company. Making her way around the room, she noticed a woman sitting in a far corner, she had a book in her lap, but didn't appear to be engrossed in what the text had to say. Sue made her way to the woman.

Back at the Bullpen, Alice Dotson continued her story. "Oh, hell no, the center never admitted guilt. They blamed the insurance company. The family was so disgusted that they moved Mildred out of Sunnyside. If she'd had the tests she needed, she wouldn't have broken her hip...that poor woman. Well, she's moved in with her niece now, so I can rest easy."

Jack stood and helped Mrs. Dotson to her feet. "Thank you for your help, we appreciate all we can get."

"I'm glad I could be of assistance. I hope you nail that place to the wall for everything they put dear Mildred through."

Jack chucked. "We'll do our best. Thanks again."

Lucy took hold of her grandmother's arm. "Well Grandma, where shall we eat?"

"I think I feel like a nice big juicy burger."

Lucy looked shocked. "Grandma! I thought you were watching your cholesterol levels."

"No, my _kids_ are watching my cholesterol levels. I'm old child; I deserve to eat what I want, and I want a burger. Are you with me?"

Lucy grinned as Jack started laughing behind his computer. "Sure, Grandma. Whatever you say."


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** The conversation at the end of the scene is in American Sign Language syntax - "glossed" is the correct term. The "fs-" in front of a person or place name means "fingerspelled." As such, fs-NANCY would actually be signed N-A-N-C-Y. The other words represent the sign that would be used in the order it would be used. The past tense is not as defined as it would be in English, which is typical of ASL.

* * *

oOo

* * *

**Twenty-two**

The woman who had caught her eye appeared to be reading. Sue watched her for a moment; when the woman glanced up at her, she said, "Hi."

The woman nodded slightly, then returned to gaze at the book in her lap. Suddenly Sue felt a tap on her shoulder from behind.

"Ms. Thomas, I called your name three times. Are you all right?" The nurse called Norma looked at her strangely.

"Yes, I'm fine." Sue laughed a bit. "I guess I didn't hear you."

The nurse shrugged."Oh well, no biggie. I just wanted to tell you, that is Mrs. Angstrom." She pointed to the woman in the chair. "She doesn't speak and is deaf."

Sue's brows lifted. "Who do you have on staff for an interpreter?"

Norma huffed slightly. "Unfortunately, only Dr. Bauman is the only one on staff that knows a bit of Sign Language – and Mrs. Angstrom gets agitated quickly with him. She says he signs sloppy."

Sue managed to control the urge to laugh out loud. "I can see where she might think Dr. Bauman is a sloppy signer."

Norma looked perplexed, but she tipped her chin toward the woman again. "Well it will do you no good to try to communicate with her."

The nurse's attitude irked Sue, and she felt her face draw into a slight scowl. "I think I'll give it a shot. I have my ways."

"As you wish, but don't say I didn't warn you..." Norma turned to walk away, so Sue didn't catch the last of her words. She likely didn't want to know anyway.

Sue knelt down beside the woman's chair. She waved her hand slightly to get the woman's attention. When the woman made eye contact, she signed, _YOU SIGN? _

The woman furrowed her brow a bit as she replied. _YES _

Sue was elated that the woman at least answered her question. _YOU DEAF?_

Again the woman furrowed her brow a bit, her eyes wary as she signed, _YES_.

Sue gave her a subtle smile.

The woman's eyes widened. u_YOU/u DEAF? SIGN YOU LEARN WHERE? _

Sue nodded. _YES ME DEAF. LEARN SIGN COLLEGE. _

_NAME YOUR WHAT? _The woman asked.

Sue gently smiled at her. _ME NAME fs-SUE THOMAS – NAME YOUR WHAT? _

The woman smiled in return, a light coming into her eyes. _ME NAME fs-GLADYS ANGSTROM _

_NICE MEET-YOU, _Sue signed.

Gladys nodded. _YES, NICE MEET-YOU_.

_NEED ANYTHING YOU? WATER? _Sue asked.

_NO ME FINE – THANK YOU _Gladys signed.

Gladys glanced down towards Sue's feet, where she was kneeling, _DOG YOU HAVE? _

Sue realized she hadn't introduced Levi. _YES, fs-LEVI MY HEARING DOG _

The elderly woman was a bit intrigued, her brows lowered. _YOU HERE WHY? _Then she snorted lightly and her brows went up. _STAFF TRY COMMUNICATE NEVER.  
_  
_ME VISIT MEET FRIENDS NEW. _Sue smiled broadly and widened her eyes for the emphasis._ fs-LEVI PET WOW HE LOVES _

Norma had paged Dr. Bauman; it was the first time in 9 years she had witnessed Gladys actually being receptive to someone. When Dan arrived, neither of them could take their eyes from the conversation Gladys was holding with Sue.

_FAMILY YOUR VISIT? _Sue asked Gladys.

Gladys nodded slightly. _NO. PAST TIME _

_ME SORRY _Sue signed.

The older woman sighed. _GRANDSON COME PAST-WEEK_

_GOOD – MAYBE TELL ME ABOUT HIM _

Gladys smiled again, softening the wrinkles across her cheeks. _THANK YOU – ME LIKE. GRANDSON HE NAME fs-CHRISTOPHER FROM fs-MINN. WOMAN SHE NAME fs-NANCY FROM fs-OREGON. BOTH SAME COLLEGE MEET -- NOW DATING SWEETHEARTS 2 YEAR TWO-OF-THEM ENGAGE _

Sue nodded, encouraging the woman to continue. _TWO-OF-THEM FINISH COLLEGE DOING WHAT? _

_WEDDING PLAN 1 YEAR – PAH TWO-OF-THEM MARRY – WHERE OVER-THERE fs-NEVADA. HE fs-GROOM HUSBAND – SHE fs-BRIDE WIFE – 3 YEAR LATER. SHE NOW PREGNANCY – 9 MONTH WAIT – PAH BORN BABY BOY – HE NAME fs-CHRISTOPHER JR._

Gladys beamed with obvious pride._ NEXT YEAR fs-CHRISTOPHER JR PAH HAVE SISTER NEW – BORN BABY GIRL – SHE NAME fs-BRITTANY. TWO-OF-THEM BROTHER SISTER – fs-CHRISTOPHER NOW FATHER – fs-NANCY NOW MOTHER. TWO-OF-THEM WHAT PARENT – WOW THEY GOOD FAMILY._

Sue stood and settled into the chair next to Gladys. Leaning forward, she signed _PLEASE GO AHEAD._


	23. Chapter 23

**Twenty Three**

Back at the office, Jack walked over to Tara's desk. "Tomorrow, you will start as my secretary. I want you to use your magic and see if you can hack into past billing orders, see what you can come up with."

Tara nodded. "Ok, what time should I be there?"

Jack looked at his watch. "Hmm… early. Say 8 a.m. it'll give you time to set up." He glanced over at Dimitrius. "You'll start tomorrow as the Maintenance Mechanic. That way, you'll have access to each office for repairs you think they _might _need."

Now he set his focus on Bobby. "I've arranged for you to become the new Janitor, I'll need you to go through a few trash cans, see if you can dig up any discarded receipts, anything that looks useful." 

The Aussie shook his head, chuckling. "Whoa, just one of the perks of working for the FBI— garbage detail."

Jack checked his watch again. "Ok, well I need to go pick up Sue, so I'll see all of you tomorrow..."


	24. Chapter 24

1**Twenty four**

Dan glanced at his watch, realizing it was 3:40pm. He walked over and gently tapped Sue's shoulder. When she glanced up at him, he signed _TIME _"Jack should be here any minute for you."

Sue suppressed any fears she may have previously had by signing as she spoke. "Oh, I didn't realize the time. Thank you."

Turning back to Gladys, she used sign only. _THANK YOU – ME STORY LIKE – ME GO – TOMORROW ALL-DAY HOME ME WORK – TALK AGAIN? _

Gladys stared at her for a moment. She now had some reservations about continuing any further visits after watching Sue speak to Dr. Bauman. However, she did enjoy the visit, so she replied _ME LIKE_ nodding her head, dawning a small smile.

Calling for Levi, Sue signed _GOOD-BYE _before she turned and walked out of the Day Room with Dan.

Norma walked over to Sue. "You're the first person Mrs. Angstrom has been receptive to in over nine years. What did you say to her?" she asked, still a bit shocked.

Grinning slightly, Sue replied, "I didn't say anything special. I just introduced myself."

"You had to have said something else to her," Dan chimed in.

Sue chuckled. "Perhaps she didn't think I was a _'sloppy signer_,' so she was more willing to converse with me."

Wile Norma looked on, a bit bewildered at their conversation, Dan signed _FUNNY_ . He then pointed down the hall. "Jack's here."

"You ready to go?" Jack asked.

"All ready. I just finished as a matter of fact," came her reply.

Jack looked at Dan. "I'll take Ms. Thomas home now, but I'll be back in at eight am tomorrow with a few more assistants."

As they walked out to Jack's car, he asked, "Did you find out anything?"

Laughing, Sue pulled her Blackberry from her pocket. "Not anything I could make out, but perhaps Tara can. We need to drop this off at the office for her to listen to the tape."

"Tape? What tape are you talking about?"

As they headed towards the office, Sue explained to Jack how she was unable to read half the lips of those talking to her. She figured since her Blackberry had a recorder on it, she would switch it on, ask the questions needed, then allow Tara to see if there was anything of use on the tape.

"You're amazing sometimes, I tell you," said Jack, giving her a smile.

Sue was a bit confused. "Amazing how?"

"The ingenious ideas you come up with to get by," he replied.

She grinned at his flattering words. Nesting into the seat, trying to relax a bit, Sue thought of Gladys.  
Jack reached over and gently touched her shoulder. "You hungry?"

Sue realized she hadn't eaten at all. "I haven't had lunch and I'm famished. You sure you want to go with me to eat?" she asked teasingly.

Jack thought for a moment. "I've been with you before when you are famished; you're an endless pit. But I can't think of anyone else I would rather share dinner with than you." 

Sue laughed aloud. "Oh alright, but first, we drop off this tape."


	25. Chapter 25

**Twenty five**

After dropping off Sue's Blackberry at the office, they headed out to their favorite café downtown. As Jack was pulling into the parking lot, he glanced over at Sue, who hadn't said another word since they left the office. He waved his hand at her. "Are you okay?"

She blinked out of her thoughts. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking, is all." She followed him into the restaurant.

They sat down, and Jack tapped her hand before she could get too engrossed in her menu. "So what were you thinking about earlier? It wasn't anything Dan said or did, was it?"

"No, nothing Dan did or said." Sue paused for a moment before responding. "I was thinking about Gladys."

Before he could ask, Jack's cell phone rang. He answered it, and she saw a perplexed look spread over his face. She watched his lips form the words. "Yeah, she's here with me. Sure, hang on." He looked up at her. "It's Dan; he said he needs to speak with you. Something about a Gladys wanting to know if you'll be there at 2pm and if you can play cards with her group?"

Sue could only smile, and was finally able to respond. "Yes, tell her I'll be there at 2pm. I would be happy to join them."

Jack relayed the message to Dan and the response back to Sue. "Gladys says she can't wait."He then spoke to Dan again. "Yes, we'll be in about 8am, see you then."

As he put his phone back in his jacket pocket, Jack gave her a confused look. "What was that all about? Tell _her…_ didn't you mean tell _him_?"

Sue giggled. "No, I meant _her_."

Jack scratched his head, he was trying to figure out where this was leading to. "So who's Gladys?"

"Gladys is a lady I met today." The twinkle in her eye told him he was going to have to ask for more information.

"Is she a patient?"

Sue nodded slightly, then looked down at her menu. Jack waited a few more seconds, then gave up and decided on his own meal.

When he saw her put down the folder, he tried again. "Obviously you hit it off with Gladys, huh?"

"You could say that."

_This is like an interrogation_, he thought in amusement. "Well, what did you two talk about?"

Sue smiled absently. "Nothing much, really." She seemed distracted. "She told me about her grandson who comes to visit her once in a while."

"Waiter coming. You ready to order?" Jack asked her, and caught her nod. "The usual?"

Sue grinned as she nodded, but by the time the waiter stood in front of their table, she was deep in thought about Gladys again.

"What will you have sir?"

Jack placed his order. When the waiter turned to Sue, Jack realized that she was lost in her thoughts and would be unresponsive to him.

"Miss, _what do you want to eat_?" The waiter barked.

"Hey!" Jack glared at the man. "There's no call to be rude." He then placed Sue's order.

The waiter walked away, muttering. Jack sat for a few moments, finding himself staring at Sue, wishing she would sometimes open up to him more. Then he sighed and let the moment pass.

He waved his hand at her face again, and chuckled as she glanced up, her expression almost startled. "Hey, think you can come back to earth?" he said.

"Excuse me?" Sue asked a bit confused.

"You were staring off into space. The waiter was here to take our order and you didn't even acknowledge him."

Sue chuckled slightly, her cheeks flushing a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't notice him walk up."

Jack frowned. "You want to talk about what's bothering you?"

She shook her head slightly. "No, I'm fine – Thank you though."

_Shut out again. What's going on? _He reached over and took her hand."If you need or want to talk, you know I'm here for you."

"I know, and you're a great friend." Sue said, placing her other hand on top of his.

Later, Jack walked Sue up to her apartment door. As they entered, Lucy was exiting from the kitchen. "Hey guys. Are you staying, Jack?"

Jack grinned at Sue, "No, I have to get home. We have a long day tomorrow"

Sue returned the smile. "You can stay if you'd like. I have more than water or cranberry juice now."

Jack laughed as she made him recall the night he gave her the tapes to test her. "No. Really, it's quite alright. I'll pick you up about 7am?"

Sue signed, _YES GOOD 7AM _.

A long moment of eye contact passed between them; then Jack finally waved as he opened the door and left.

Sue put her things away and retreated to the couch. She sighed as she stretched out, trying to relax. When Lucy came over and sat next to her, Sue glanced towards her.

"You okay?"

Sue sighed again as she nodded.

Lucy chuckled slightly. "Why is it I find that hard to believe?"

Forcing a laugh, Sue tilted her head toward her friend. "Probably because I'm a horrible liar?"

Lucy laughed as she nodded. "Feel like talking about it?"

Sue could only shake her head, not really in the mood to talk. "I'm just tired, Lucy. I had an exhausting day. I think I'm going to head to bed." She got up and, without saying another word or waiting for a response from Lucy, went to her room.

Concerned, Lucy phoned Jack. "Jack, what happened today? Sue seems really out of sorts."

She listened to him explain about Sue being alone with Dan for a fair amount of time today. After hanging up, Lucy thought _Well that would explain a lot if I knew who Dan was…_


	26. Chapter 26

1**Twenty six**

On their way to the nursing home, Jack caught Sue watching him. Slightly embarrassed, he asked, "What?"

"I was wondering how long you think this case will last?"

Jack was a bit surprised at her question. "I guess as long as it takes for us to gather enough evidence–or know we really don't have a concrete case–why?"

She gave a small shrug. "No reason. Just wondering was all.".

He knew there was another reason; he could see it in her eyes. "Still don't care to be around Dan that long, huh?" A grin softened the remark.

Sue smiled, replying, "You do know me pretty well, don't you?"

"I know that's part of the reason, but I think there is more. I can't put my finger on it yet, but give me time. I will."

Sue smirked as she patted his shoulder. "You do that."

He parked the car and faced her. "We're here. You ready?" 

Sue sighed softly. "Ready."

Walking in, they were met by Tara. "Ah, Miss Williams," Jack said with a smile, "You're here already. Good. We have a lot of work to do."

"Levi and I are going to visit. I'll see you later, Jack," Sue said, before she turned to go into the Day Room

"Okay. We'll fill you in later. Have a good day." He waved, motioning Tara into his office. She flashed Sue a grin and a wave, then followed Jack.

He closed the door and turned. "What have you got so far?"

"I met with the others this morning. Lucy found that two of the doctors were released early from their residency for mistakes. Myles is going this morning to interview the Chief Residents that released the doctors. We'll have more when he returns," Tara explained. "As for Bobby and Dimitrius? They should be here shortly."

"All right. I'm going to go 'make the rounds,' so to speak, and I'll snag Bobby and D momentarily when I see them. You get going on the billing records; computer records are nice, but we need some hard copy as well."

"Let me get setup here at the computer so I can work some magic. Soon as I find something of interest, I'll page you."

Jack nodded, heading for the door. "You and your alter ego have fun."


	27. Chapter 27

**Twenty Seven**

Sue entered the Day Room with Levi at her side. She rubbed his head. "You enjoy this, don't you boy?" Levi looked up, and she could see the furry animal was indeed very content.

"Sue, Sue…"

A faint voice called from the other side of the room. Levi pawed Sue's hand. She scanned the room to see who was calling her, then walked towards the woman she saw waving. She had met the same small group the day before.

"Oh Hi." Sue said as she approached the woman, who had three others with her today.

The woman smiled shyly. "Hi. I was so hoping you would return today with… Levi, is it?"

"Yes, this is Levi." Sue said, as she glanced at the others with her. "I'm sorry. I'm Sue Thomas and this is Levi." Levi greeted the women with a soft bark. When Sue gave him permission, he wandered off to find his other admirers.

The small group of elderly people were enjoying their time petting the Golden Retriever. One gentleman had brought in a tennis ball to gently toss around with Levi.

Another woman handed Sue a hand-knitted sweater for Levi. "Oh you shouldn't have!" Sue held it up, admiring the intricate work.

The woman beamed. "A good dog needs a sweater in the winter on cold D.C. days, as he's out visiting."

Sue smiled. "Thank you, that was very sweet of you. I'm sure Levi appreciates it, too."

She glanced at the man playing ball with Levi. Then she felt a cold, soft hand touch her knee. She turned around as the woman spoke. "I hope you don't think this is presumptuous of me, dear, but do you have a hearing problem?"

Sue laughed softly to herself as she tried to gather her words. "I don't consider it a problem, but to answer your question, I'm deaf. Levi is my hearing dog."

One of the other women blurted out, "Then how—?"

Sue stopped her mid-sentence, grinning. "I read lips, but if you sign – that's even more helpful."

The third woman sitting with them was quite intrigued, "Would you mind sharing with us…?" The woman stopped herself, for fear of insulting Sue.

Sue knew all too well what the woman was asking. "I would be happy to." She began to tell them the short version of her life story.


	28. Chapter 28

1**Twenty Eight**

Myles strode into the hospital at Johns Hopkins and looked around. Although it was only ninety minutes out of DC, he had never been to the prestigious teaching hospital—the Harvard of the medical world. He walked over to the nearest nursing station, murmuring, "Excuse me."

A pretty redheaded nurse looked up at him. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, thank you. I have an appointment with your Chief Resident, Dr. Jon Reisman. Could you point me toward his office, please?"

She smiled. "Certainly. Down the hall here to the elevator. Go to the 4th floor, then go left. It's the second door on your right."

"Thank you." He followed the directions she'd given him, and was soon walking into a well-furnished office. The secretary, an older lady with an air of efficiency about her, looked up. "May I help you?"

He flashed his ID. "Special Agent Myles Leland, FBI. I have an appointment with Dr. Reisman."

"Oh, yes." Her smile brightened the lines on her face. Picking up the phone, she buzzed the inner office. "Dr. Reisman, Agent Leland is here. Yes, sir." She looked up. "Go right on in."

"Thank you." He stepped into the office, where Reisman was just coming around his desk to shake hands. "Dr. Reisman, thank you for taking the time to see me."

"Of course," the doctor replied, motioning Myles to a chair before he resumed his spot behind the desk. "I understand you had some questions about a couple of our past residents?"

"That's correct." Myles flipped open a notepad. "A Dr. Chad Matthews and Dr. Samuel Harris."

"I had Natalie pull up their files when you called. Yes, they were both here while I was Chief Resident, and they were in my department. What do you need to know?"

Myles leaned back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. "I understand both men were released early from their residencies. Can you tell me why?"

"From what I recall, as I used their files to refresh my memory, Dr. Matthews was released after having difficulties following proper testing procedures on several occasions."

Myles raised a brow. "What sort of difficulties?"

"Well, the nurses brought it to my attention. Patients he was assigned to see, he would evaluate them. As an intern, he needed a resident to authorize all procedures. He had a difficult time with this. He would order tests that were not needed for the patient, then once confronted, he would cancel, obviously."

"I see." Myles made several notes. "What about Dr. Harris?"

"As far as Dr. Harris, the nurses and patients made several complaints against his 'bed-side manner'. After careful evaluation, not only myself, but the entire Board found he was a risk to patients and he was released."

"A risk to the patients?" Myles leaned forward in his chair. "Dr. Reisman, I'm sorry, but could you be more specific about that? It could be important."

"Sure. Dr. Harris was inattentive to his patients' needs. He often dismissed their complaints. Other times, he ordered medication that was not needed for patients. The final incident was a Schedule II narcotic for a child–which he was not authorized by the state to dispense. He was compelled to have the child rest instead of dealing with the child's illness. By his doing so, this could have proved to be fatal to the child."

Myles suppressed a shudder for the child, and kept his mind on the business at hand. "Thank you, Dr. Reisman. By the way, we're investigating two other doctors as well, although I don't believe they worked directly with you. Dr. Mike McGee and Dr. Trey Chung."

"That doesn't surprise me. Yes, you're correct, they were not directly under my supervision, but I did consult with their Attending Chief after they were dismissed. May I ask what they're under investigation for?"

Myles paused a moment, then continued. "While I'm not at liberty to go into detail, we're investigating some allegations of health care fraud at a nearby long-term care facility. It seems some of the same things you've just described to me may be going on there."

He looked at his notes again. "You said you spoke to their Attending Chief. Is there any way I can get in touch with him? We'd like to have as much information on all four men as possible."

"Yes, that would be Chief Andrews; he's working now over at the Joslin Center in Boston. I believe I have his number somewhere here. Here it is." He handed Myles a business card. "I'm sorry these young men's intentions are not that of a true doctor. I do hope that whatever they have done, you are able to stop them before someone is seriously injured or a death results of their actions. If you need any further questions answered, please feel free to contact me, I'll be more then happy to assist any way I can."

Myles stood. "Thank you very much for your time, Dr. Reisman."


	29. Chapter 29

**Twenty Nine**

Jack walked back into the office where Tara was. "What did you find?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder looking at her computer monitor.

"Well, I hit jackpot almost out of the gate. These guys aren't too smart, well smart enough to have encrypted the database with a Novel 256-bit encryption, but it shouldn't be that hard to decrypt it, it's just time consuming is all." She said, as she shifted her position in her seat.

Jack patted her shoulder, "No wonder we keep you around, you're the super 'puter wizard." He said, chuckling.

Tara gave him a grin, "You betcha!"

"I'm going to head back out. I was on my way down to the basement when I got your page. The other rooms I've checked seemed clear so far." Jack explained.

"Alright, if I get this decrypted before you return I'll page you again." Tara stated, shifting her position yet again.

Jack said, "Sounds great, you're doing fantastic…" as he walked out the door.

As Jack walked out of his office, he decided to go see how Dimitrius was faring with the "electrical work." Just as he turned the corner, however, he noticed a tailored trouser leg disappearing through the door to the basement. _Uh-oh_, he thought. _Better hang back just enough for damage control if D needs it._

He stepped to the basement door, catching it just before it closed. Silently, he stepped through and let the door latch, staying at the top of the stairs and listening intently.

"Who are you, and what are you doing down here?" a rather nasal voice asked. Jack recognized it as Chad Matthews.

D responded, and Jack could almost hear him shrug. "I was told to come take a look at the electrical system. They said you've been having some problems."

Matthew's voice held not a trace of belief. "Then what were you doing on the opposite wall from the fuse box?"

_Time to make an entrance_, Jack thought, walking down the stairs. He heard Dimitrius saying, "Look, all kind of things can affect the electrical system; including water, like from whatever left those water stains on the wall right there."

Jack stepped into the basement area and into D's sight line just as Matthews, who had his back turned, said, "Who exactly authorized you to come poking around down here, anyway?"

"I did." Chad Matthews spun around to see Jack, who folded his arms across his chest. "There have been a number of reports that patients who tried to use their call buzzers weren't able to. I asked Mr. Johnson here to come take a look and make sure there wasn't a short in the electrical system. You have a problem with that, Dr. Matthews?"

The doctor took a step back. "Oh, no, Mr. Hudson, of course not. I was merely curious...I, uh...I didn't recognize this man, he's not the usual person who does such repairs for us..."

Jack took a step forward. "Don't you have patients to care for, Dr. Matthews, instead of trying to do my job for me?"

Matthews swung around, giving Jack a wide berth as he headed for the stairs. "Yes, sir...I'm sorry." He practically ran up the stairs.

As soon as they heard the door close, Dimitrius grinned. "If we get around to bringing someone in, I think it should be him. He'd crack like a Ming vase."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah. What'd you find, anyway?"

"There's a reason he was so nervous about this wall." The black man led Jack over to the water-stained area. "These water stains are laid out in a pattern that can only be the edge of a secret compartment." He pulled a screwdriver out of his toolbox and poked around the edges. After just a moment, he hit a spring-lever, and the panel snapped open.

"Hello!" Jack said softly. He pulled a ledger book out of the opening and flipped it open. "Wow. Get it all on film, will you, D? I have to get back topside before Matthews comes back."

"You got it."


	30. Chapter 30

**Thirty**

"Levi!" Sue exclaimed, the nudge from the furry beast almost making her spill the glass of tea as she took a sip. She caught the chuckle of woman next to her. Sue almost welcomed Levi's interruption; she was near exhaustion trying to keep up with the woman's family story.

Levi nudged her again and Sue noticed it was Gladys who had entered the room. Sue turned to the woman next to her. "I'm sorry. You'll have to excuse me. Can we continue a bit later?" she asked, glancing back at Levi who had bolted towards Gladys as she seated herself in the small corner of the room.

The woman nodded. "With pleasure."

Sue walked over to Gladys, who was already reading a magazine. She signed to Levi to get Gladys' attention for her. Levi put his head on the lady's lap and looked up at her. Sue could see the smile on Gladys' face.

Looking up, Gladys signed HI – HOW YOU?

Sue smiled. ME GOOD – HOW YOU?

ME GOOD – AROUND 1 HOUR WE CARD PLAY? Gladys' face reflected a child-like excitement.

YES Sue replied.

She then noticed Levi had taken off again to mingle on his own. Sue scanned the room for him, noticing the woman she had been talking to earlier was now petting Levi. Meeting her glance, Sue gave her a subtle smile and returned her focus to Gladys. Thinking for a moment, she signed YOU KNOW HER? she asked, pointing to the other woman.

Gladys signed NO, and her body language became mildly timid.

Sue knew to drop any attempts at an introduction at this point. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to see Jack. She gave him an inquisitive look.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, please?" he asked..

"Sure." Turning to Gladys, she signed RETURN FEW–WE TALK

Gladys nodded and signed YES.

As they reached the hallway, Jack could only stare at Sue, caught up in watching her sign. She raised a brow at him. "Are you all right?"

Jack shook himself back to reality. "Yes, I'm fine. Tara retrieved some excellent data from your Blackberry. She was able to find the billing invoices and is matching them up now."

"That's great." Sue knew there was more, though. "Something else?"

He rubbed his head slightly. "Have you questioned everyone from the Day Room yet?"

"No, not everyone. There's a few I didn't get to the other day. I plan on speaking with them today or tomorrow."

Jack nodded. "Okay. That's perfect."

"Was that all?" she asked.

He caught himself staring again and replied hastily. "Yeah, I just wanted to see how you were doing and to update you some."

Sue smiled. "I'm doing fine"

Jack smiled back. "I can see that now. I also know why you and Gladys hit it off so well."

She chuckled lightly. "I know you have work to do. I'll see you in a few hours." She turned and walked back into the Day Room.

Jack could only grin as he watched her leave.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thirty one**

Sue walked back into the Day Room and sat next to Gladys. She signed, HIM JACK, pointing out the door, GOOD FRIEND ADMINISTRATOR – HELP HE ASK – HELP ME HAPPY

Gladys furrowed her brow. "KNOW NOT—" She repeated the sign Sue used for Administrator. "_— _ME"

Sue gave her a passive smile, excited to explain it to Gladys. SIGN 'MANAGE PERSON.'

She watched as Gladys gently touched her chest with her index finger,then made a "V" with her right hand, twisting it slightly and slapping the back of her hand on her foreheadThen in a swift movement she formed an "C" near her chin bringing her hand down a short distance closing into an "S." She then made an open "5" hand, placing it on her chin and in one swift movement bringing it down to her chest. Lastly, she pointed to herself again.ME IGNORANT OLD WOMAN ME. She then released a sigh that neither heard.

Sue took Gladys' hand and gave her a gentle smile. ME SORRY, INSULT YOU NOT MY INTENTION

Gladys shook her head, returning the smile. INSULT NO — THANK YOU

Sue glanced at her watch. Gladys tapped her shoulder and pointed to the door. INTRODUCE. She then stood to greet her friends and to introduce Sue.

Gladys introduced Sue to the other 3 women who would be joining them in their card game. They all sat down and began playing.

Through the first several hands, Sue felt as though someone was staring at her. She noticed Levi was again nowhere to be found. _He'__s just having too much fun, with all the new people loving on him._ As she looked around the room to locate Levi, she found him being petted by the woman she had been speaking to earlier in the day. The gentlemen had returned with his tennis ball as well. The woman made eye contact with Sue. They exchanged smiles, and Sue went back to the game.

Several hands later, the feeling of being watched was still there. Each time Sue glanced to check on Levi, the woman was fixated on Sue's movements. Sue pondered over asking her new deaf friends to invite the woman over to join them, but she feared, being "old school," they wouldn't accept her. She released a sigh as they continued to play and sign their conversation.

After close to 2 hours, the card game finally ended. The elderly woman seated at the middle of the table had all but whipped the others out of their change. The other women signed their congratulations and laughed over the fun they had. By now Sue had become almost fixated on the stare of the woman across the room.

Gladys noticed Sue was no longer paying attention. She leaned over and gently tapped the younger woman's arm. YOU OKAY? Gladys signed.

Sue replied, YES, ME FINE, sighing deeply.

Gladys could see something was bothering Sue. TROUBLE YOU WHAT?

Sue made an "O" handshape at her chin, thrusting her hand down and out into a flat "5." ME LEVI WATCH.

OH OKAY. Gladys facial expression concurred with her signing. But before Sue could respond further, Gladys signed STORY TIME – STAY YOU?

Sue's face lit up, recalling during her College days and the Silent Suppers she attended with her other deaf friends to hear the marvelous stories told. Some were fiction, some nonfiction, but they didn't care at the time— it was watching the flow of the story told in American Sign Language. She straightened in her chair, smiling and signed, YES – ME STAY. Their smiles in return were bright and happy.

As Sue glanced once more at Levi, as she noticed the woman across the room was still staring. The two again exchanged smiles and Sue turned back around to listen to the first story. Just as the woman began her story, Sue suddenly interrupted her. "ME SORRY – MAY I INVITE?" Sue asked the women, indicating the lady who had been watching them.

The women stared at Sue in amazement. Then, almost simultaneously, they all began to sign, the conversation filled with tension. Sue watched the sharpness of the words they signed.

_Why should we let that woman over here_ one woman signed.

Another signed _she will have no idea what we are saying, she's a hearie!_

Another woman was so furious her hands actually left her sign space. S_he speaks!_

Gladys watched the other women state their cases, and then interceded. _Sue took time to visit that woman, same as she has taken time to play cards with us. Is it not fair, we give our time to Sue in return?_

The woman seated at the far end of the table huffed. _This woman speaks,_ she signed furiously_. None of us do. We sign. How will we converse?_

Sue felt the need to step in at this point, speaking as she signed. _I speak and sign. I have no qualms about translating – she might be your next new friend, but how will you know unless you open the doors to communication?_

She could see that all the women except Gladys were flabbergasted at her remarks. They closed ranks again to further discuss allowing the woman to join them. When their conversation ended, Gladys turned to Sue. "YES – GO INVITE" she signed as a broad smile dawned across her face.

"THANK YOU" Sue replied as she got up to ask the woman across the room.

As Sue approached the woman, Levi ran to greet her. The woman stopped for a moment to pet him. Sue sat down next to the woman. "I noticed you were watching."

The woman's face flushed. "Yes, I was. I'm sorry if I offended you with my staring."

Sue smiled as she patted to the woman's hand. "No, I wasn't offended, neither were the other ladies. We were wondering if you would like to join us. They're about to start telling a few deaf history stories – I know you asked questions about me, so I thought you might be interested."

The woman was silent for what seemed an eternity, but finally turned toward Sue. "I think we would have a slight communication problem. I don't believe they speak, and I don't know sign language."

Sue could see the disappointment on her face. "I think there's a way to work around that,… You know, I never caught your name."

"I'm sorry. My name is Martha." The woman said.

Sue gave her a soft smile and held out her hand to help Martha up. "Well it's nice to meet you Martha. Let's go listen to some stories."


	32. Chapter 32

**Thirty two**

_L__isten? _Martha thought as they approached the table where the deaf woman were sitting at the other side of the room. _H__ow are they going to listen?_ She glanced at Sue, who was standing beside a chair. The blonde woman signed as she spoke. _I'd like you to meet Martha._ _Martha this is… _ She pointed gently to each of the ladies. …_Gladys, Helen, Milli and Irene_.

Each of the deaf women stood, one by one, extending their hand in an offer for her to join them. Martha took a seat next to Sue; she sat quietly while Irene stood first to begin. Sue's voice soon melded with the storytelling…

_I will be sharing with you a few stories about the achievements of deaf women,_ Irene signed. _I will begin with Laura Searing, she was a well-known journalist for America. She covered the Civil War and wrote for "Reform Nation." In her writing, she used the surname "Howard Clyndon", because of the same reasons as Harriet Martineau. Laura became deaf at the age of 11. She strongly supported the Union, and was a ardent Republican. She wrote about many different subjects, including President Abraham Lincoln. _

Irene continued on with her next story, her hands moving with the ease of leaves flowing in a gentle breeze. _Harriet Martineau reached out to the world with her pen. She was independent, stubborn, and ambitious, which were all good traits for a very good writer. She wrote articles in the newspaper using a man's name because of oppression reasons. When her Brother found out she was that author, he was shocked and encouraged her to become a writer. Her mom was very picky on her about Harriet's behaviors, which were not like an English lady. Harriet became deaf when she was 14 years old. At 19 years old, she became a famous Journalist. She wrote around 30 books, not to mention thousands of articles. She wanted to make the world a better place, so she wrote about many different issues, including her experiences, traveling, opinions, fictions, history, and much more._ She paused momentarily.

Helen signed, _Have you any more? Those were marvelous_.

Irene signed _Yes_, and continued on with her next story. _Nellie Willhite was the first deaf pilot to earn her pilot's license. She was born at Box Elder, South Dakota, and became deaf when she was four. She participated in many air shows, and she really loved to fly. She did scare many people, including her manager, when she would prove them wrong with amazing tricks in the air. Sadly she stopped flying planes in 1944._

_I've one more_, Irene signed as she began her last story. _Bonnie Tucker was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. She is an attorney and professor of law. She became deaf when she was 2 years old. She faced lots of discrimination, and ended up getting divorced by her hearing husband, who was a lawyer before she was. The divorce occurred because her husband could not accept her deafness. This incident made her motivated to become a lawyer. She has worked really hard and won several awards related to law performance._ She nodded her head slightly before taking her seat.

Helen stood and signed, _I would be happy to go next – to share with you a few in history that have inspired me_

Sue took a moment to glance at Martha, noting the amazement on the woman's face. She leaned a bit towards Martha. "Are you okay?"

Martha nodded. "I just have never seen anything like this before in all my born days."

Sue gently touched her arm. "Just wait; it gets better," she said.

Helen took a sip of her water, then began. _Julianna Field was born in Minnesota. She won an Emmy Award as an actress and producer. She was born deaf. She wanted to be an actress ever since she was four years old. She participated in the National Theatre of the Deaf, and was a student at Gallaudet. She was involved in a movie called "Love is Never Silent", and was also in several other movies._

She continued on to her next story with only a slight pause. _Kitty O'Neil, the world's fastest woman, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was a stuntwoman and racer who became deaf when she was four years old. She got her credentials in teaching at the University of Texas. She studied the methods of teaching deaf children, and is a founder of "School Listening Eyes" in Wichita Falls. She taught deaf children using oral methods. She won many diving championship awards and craves new challenges, such as dangerous sports. She rode a speed boat at the velocity of 285.23 miles per hour, and has been on water skis at 104.85 miles per hour in 1970. She has driven in many vehicle races. She also did stunts for the movie called "Bionic Woman" and "Wonder Woman." She was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, because she traveled at a speed of 512.710 miles per hour. She did many different stunts._

The seamless flow of Helen's signing captivated even Sue as she continued to translate for Martha. Helen continued. _Shirley J. Allen was born in Tyler, Texas and she was the first deaf African-American women to receive her Ph.D. She was nuts about music until she became deaf at 20 years old. She got her Ph.D. at the University of Rochester._

_Judith Tingley was born in Oakland, California. She became deaf when she was a senior in high school. She got her Masters degree in Education of Exceptional children in 1966. In 1988, she became president of Teletec international sales and marketing of Ultratec products. She helped many deaf people in other countries and she has published information about the telecommunication and relay services. She participated in many different organizations throughout the country. _

Helen paused for a moment, then signed, _I am most impressed with this story perhaps_. _Dr. Robert Davila, who is the current vice-president for NTID; and the past Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services from 1989 to 1993, which is the highest government position ever held by an individual who is deaf. He was born and raised in San Diego._

As if it were a planned stage performance, Milli stood as Helen finished, and began her stories. _Gertrude S. Galloway grew up in a deaf family in Washington, D.C. She is an administrator and advocate of deaf women. As a girl attending Kendall, she learned via the oral philosophy. She got her Doctorate degree at Gallaudet, and was the first women president of National Association for the Deaf. She participated in many organizations, and is known as the first deaf superintendent AND the first women superintendent at the state. She was also President for CEASD (Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf) in 1996. _

Again almost without pause, Milli flowed into the next story. _Frances Parsons was born deaf due to a premature birth. She was an advocate of Total Communication. She wrote for the "Sound of the Stars" journal in 1971. In her prime, she was very athletic and she believes in total communication. She traveled to many countries for the purpose of helping deaf children. Because of this, she joined the Peace Corps and paved the way for many other deaf people to join the Peace Corps. _

Taking a moment to pause to sip her water, Milli continued. _Marcella Meyer was the Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Los Angles Council on Deafness organization. She became deaf when she was six years old. She learned and supported oral methods. She founded the GLAD organization in 1969, which is one of the best and most powerful deaf organizations in the country. The GLAD organization has impacted the lives of many hearing and deaf people. _

Milli paused again briefly, giving Sue time enough to notice that a few of the other patients were now watching them. She was glad that the activity could serve as a bridge between the deaf and hearing at the center.

But she neglected to notice that her teammates were all watching as well. Jack had passed the Day Room thirty minutes earlier and had stopped, enthralled by the beauty of it. He hurried down to his office and brought Tara back with him to watch. Tara had quickly paged both Bobby and Dimitrius to join them right inside the entrance of the Day Room. Lucy had paged Tara shortly after. Tara explained what was happening, and Jack told Tara to have Myles meet them at the Home for a briefing. Myles had offered to bring Lucy as well. Now they all stood in the doorway of the Day Room and watched.

Milli continued with her last story. _Regina Hughes was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She was a botanical artist who really loved plants. Regina was especially passionate about flowers such as Orchids. She became deaf at the age of 10. She got her Masters degree at Gallaudet in 1920. She knew many languages such as French, Portuguese, Italian, Latin, Germany, Norse, and Romanian, as well as being a volunteer working at the Smithsonian Museum painting and analyzing flowers and plants. She was a true admirer of the field, and received USDA's Superior Service Award for Botanical illustration and technical translation in 1962. She got her Honorary Doctor of Humanity letter from Gallaudet. She won several awards for her hard work. _

After Milli had finished, the women looked to Gladys to get up and tell her few stories. Gladys sat in thought for a moment; then turning to face Sue, she signed, _Would you like to go next?_

The other women all agreed that would be a fabulous idea. Sue was a bit stunned, as she hadn't participated in a storytelling event since college. Sue then remembered and spoke as she signed. _I would love to participate, but I'm translating for Martha._

Sue felt a slight tap on her left shoulder. Turning around, she saw Dan standing there with a gleam in his eye. Before Sue could speak, he said, "My translation might be a tad-bit off, but if Martha can bear with me, I'd be happy to tell her what you are saying."

She looked toward Martha, who gave no objections. Bewildered by his offer, Sue looked to the other deaf women, as this was highly unusual. Though no one had signed the vocal conversation to them, they all seemed to understand Dr. Bauman's offer. Gladys signed to Sue, _I think we have a translator for the translator_.

With a shy smile, Sue graciously agreed to participate.


	33. Chapter 33

**Thirty three**

Sue gave a subtle smile as she began. _I love sports and the arts, I'll begin with a few of my favorite sports personalities_; _Terence Parkin was born deaf. He swam at his first Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. The 20-year-old South African owns the African record in the 400 individual medley, won two silver medals in 2001 at the Short Course World Championships in Athens. _

She continued, _Curtis Pride was deaf at birth from rubella and a native Washingtonian, Pride grew up oral, completed college as a student athlete. He also played basketball and was an excellent soccer player who had played for the United States at the Under 17 World Championships in China in 1985, played briefly for major league teams, and has had a long minor league career. Pride began his career as a part-time New York Mets minor leaguer and moved on to stints with the Montreal Expos (minors and majors), the Detroit Tigers (majors), the Boston Red Sox (minors/briefly in the majors), the Atlanta Braves (majors), and the Kansas City Royals. But his real break was In 2003, Pride was called up from the minors by the New York Yankees. – Making him the first regular full-season deaf player in modern major league history. _

Though she still hadn't noticed them, the team was amazed at the passion Sue was expressing as she signed. She began her next story. _Kenny Walker, deaf since suffering meningitis at age 2. He went on to become an All-American at the University of Nebraska before playing five years of professional football, including two with the Denver Broncos in the NFL a few years before being released in 1993. He is married and a father of four, including a deaf stepson, Kenny Walker refuses to let deafness stop his world from moving forward. Today Walker is a football coach at the Iowa School for the Deaf. _

_We simply cannot forget Vinton Cerf, known as the "father of the Internet," who happens to be hard of hearing. _

Sue paused for a moment, taking in the gleeful expressions of her new friends. She continued, _Clayton Valli, he is an acclaimed ASL Poet -- If you ever have the opportunity to see him perform his work, you should take it._

Sue paused yet another moment before signing, _I truly believe this is a very inspiring story for everyone_. She sighed deeply before she began her next story. _Evelyn Glennie who is only 33yrs old is the world's only full-time percussion soloist. She has performed with virtually all of the world's finest orchestras and greatest conductors in the most famous concert halls only proves that Evelyn is one of the world's top international concert soloists and the most in demand solo percussionist in the world. What takes Evelyn a step beyond the ranks of the elite is that she combines her superb technical abilities, a profound appreciation of the visual elements of percussion along with her astonishing musicality to create performances of such stunning vitality that they almost constitute a new type of performance. To this end Evelyn has commissioned over one hundred new works for solo percussion from many of the world's most talented composers. She plays over 150 instruments, she also has a collection of over 1000 instruments, – even making her own. Despite all the advice to the contrary, Evelyn is not only the first person to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist in the history of classical music but is redefining the goals and expectations of percussion students, orchestras, concert promoters and the general public the world over. What makes her so unique, from age 8 to 12. She lost most of her hearing from nerve damage. She is profoundly deaf; that is, she hears some sounds, but the quality is extremely poor, yet that doesn't stop her. _

Sue was still unaware of her team viewing her. There were no words to explain the expressions upon their faces. None of them had seen anyone describe such a story with so much ease and passion. Bobby's face showed a trace of pride in knowing such a person. Jack was obviously struggling to keep his feelings at bay. Myles seemed most intrigued by her passion for the arts. Tara and Lucy were staring wide-eyed; neither had ever experienced the depth or breadth of her knowledge.

Sue continued with her last story. _Phyllis Frelich was born in Devil's Lake, North Dakota. She was raised in a deaf family. She really loves performing on stages and front of cameras for audiences everywhere. She graduated from Gallaudet in 1967, and has won many awards for drama. She participated with the National Theatre of the Deaf. Her most popular performance, that won her a Tony Award, was "Children of a Lesser God" which played on Broadway. She currently has a staring role in "Big River" which is on Broadway as "Miss Watson." To quote this great performer is an honor. _

_  
"Today, I am amazed at how times and things are changing for Deaf people. I believe that at least some of the impetus for change can be attributed to such things as NTD (National Theater of the Deaf) and Children (the play Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff) for their ability to demonstrate to the world the beauty of sign language and the dignity of Deaf people - that there is no better way to change people's attitudes than through the arts." _

Sue finished her stories; as she sat down she signed, _I can't believe how much I actually missed doing that. Tthank you for allowing me to join in._ The other women nodded as they smiled.

Gladys stood up, knowing her turn had come. _In_ _1880 a Congress was held in Milan, Italy to decide the best method for educating the Deaf. On September 11, 1880, the Congress voted to abolish the use of sign language in deaf education. Gallaudet noted, however, that there were no deaf delegates at the conference. The Milan Congress had a dramatic impact; sign language institutions were reformed and hundreds of oralist schools were opened. They also saw fit to put to death anyone caught using sign language. However, a century later, the oralist were condemned for catering to the prejudices of hearing people rather than the needs of the Deaf. The Deaf began building their own communities, culture, and families. Those who know sign language understand the beauty of it. _

_  
Meanwhile, in the United States, a man named Samuel Gridley Howe was making history by educating a child, Laura Bridgman, who was not only deaf, but blind as well. He used manual signs that lightly touched her hand in order to communicate with her. It is reported that she even signed while sleeping. However, Howe along with Horace Mann spoke out against the use of sign language in favor of speaking and lip-reading. The oralist movement was growing, especially in Massachusetts. It caught the attention of a young man named Alexander Graham Bell. Bell's work with the deaf inspired him to try to create a machine that would enable the Deaf to hear. That machine was the telephone, which actually helped hearing, not deaf people. Thus the controversy of gestures versus speech had begun in the United States as well as Europe._

_  
Unfortunately, many, such as Alexander Graham Bell did not understand, and continued to promote lip-reading and speech. The teaching of speech became a central issue once again partly due to the fact that languages change. The French, German, and British were all using the same Latin alphabet but pronounced the vowels very differently. Thus, creating a universal, picture dictionary of speech sounds proved rather difficult. However, many such as Wilkins and Demeny tried arguing that photography was the "perfect method" for educating the Deaf. The following pictures demonstrate their idea that if the Deaf could see how each sound was formed, with much practice they would be able to make the sound. The method never caught on._

_  
Bell also was strictly opposed to intermarriage among the deaf; he believed in the improvement of society through selective breeding and felt that two deaf people getting married would naturally breed defective children. Bell called the deaf "a defective variety of the human race" and began a crusade to destroy sign language and pushed for laws forbidding marriage between deaf persons and supported compulsory sterilization of deaf girls in the name of "eugenics." Some states actually passed this legislation. Bell was a "pure oralist" who was very opposed to even using a combined system of sign and oral instruction such as had been quite successful in Germany. He also advocated breaking up the large numbers of deaf students and minimizing contact among the deaf; he felt that associating with "normal" people would make deaf students more normal. Bell was a proponent of the day school plan where small numbers of deaf students would be taught among their hearing peers and returned to their parents at night. Over several decades, Bell was quite successful in establishing his day school programs in Michigan, Maine, Connecticut, California, Illinois, and Massachusetts._

_  
He did create the Volta Bureau for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge relating to the deaf." The telephone was actually a by-product of Bell's attempt to help the deaf learn to speak. He hoped for the day when hearing people would remove the handicap by accepting deaf culture and language. Bell saw dangers and thought sign to be " ideographic, imprecise and concrete. The adults who sign represent our failures. Let us have as few of them as we actually can." Bell viewed deafness as a physical handicap that could not be cured. Bell favored monoligualism while Clerc favored bilingualism._

_  
Only in a few instances was the value or uniqueness of the gestural communication of the deaf recognized. Not until de l'Eppe were teachers required to learn the gestural system of the pupils instead of demanding the students learn the teacher's language. We are also awed that it appears that little input was gathered from the deaf students themselves concerning how they were to be taught. The "experts" decided what was best. This was especially evident at the Milan Congress of 1880 when there was not one deaf delegate present. Why is it necessary to have "one best system" of teaching the deaf? The deaf are not eternally a dependent and child-like culture, which need the hearing community's control of their culture. They can speak for themselves, whether using oral, gestural, or signing communication. Let the deaf culture decide which is best for them._

_  
I would also like to share a quote; _

_  
They took away what should have been my eyes_

_(But I remember Milton's Paradise)_

_They took away what should have been my ears_

_(Beethoven came and wiped away my tears)_

_They took away what should have been my tongue_

_(But I had talked with God when I was young)_

_He would not let them take away my soul –_

_Possessing that, I still possess the whole_

_  
Helen Keller_

_  
_

Gladys' hands fell silent. As she glanced around the room, she felt all eyes were upon her, as they were – _she embraces the story with so much passion. You do not need to know the words_. She gently folded her hands in front of her as she quietly sat down. The room was utterly still.

Sue leaned to Gladys, and signed; _I had heard that story many times before, I've read in books, but I've never heard it told as you have told it – it gives it a whole new meaning. Thank you._

Gladys smiled as she signed _Thank you – I hope your friends enjoyed it as well._ She pointed towards the door.

Sue turned and was surprised to see the entire team there, looking rather mesmerized. "Oh my gosh!" she blurted as she placed her hand on Martha's shoulder. "Excuse me, please."

She rushed over to where her team was standing. "What are you all doing here?" she asked, hoping someone would answer her.

Jack gently took her arm as he led her out of the Day Room. The remaining team members followed slowly to rule out any suspicion. "That was beautiful," he said. A scattered chorus of nods joined him.

Sue smiled, a little embarrassed. "Thank you. I had no idea you were even watching. When did you get here?"

He smiled. "Everyone kind of worked their way in over the past hour. We should start to head back to the office for a recap."

For more information on Evelyn Glennie visit  more information on Phyllis Frelich visit http://pr. and


	34. Chapter 34

**Thirty four**

Jack and Sue were last to arrive back at the office. Jack waved a hand as he walked in. "All right. Myles, what did you find out from your fishing trip today?"

Sue's brows furrowed momentarily, until Bobby mimed casting and "reeling in" his notepad. She "ahhed" silently.

The taller agent raised a brow at the expression. "Actually, the expedition was remarkably enlightening. It would appear that none of our physicians particularly impressed the medical board at Johns Hopkins, for various reasons. Matthews was dismissed for continually ordering nonessential tests, and Harris was known for prescribing unneeded medications and ignoring patients' concerns."

Tara shifted in her seat. "I was able to decrypt the billing logs, which actually proved quite fruitful." She leaned back in her chair, poking at the keys of her computer to bring up two ledgers on the plasma screen. "I was able to retrieve data that matched perfectly to the invoices sent to the insurance companies and Medicare—the increase in their bank accounts was directly related to the inflated and non-existent billing."

"D? What did that little treasure trove in the basement reveal?"

D pulled out a short stack of soggy, grungy papers. "Well, looks as if they were trying to hide the paper trail. I found these past receivables— they also match up to what Tara found."

"We have stuff to directly link Matthews and Harris, then?" Jack aimed the question to the room in general. The question was answered with several emphatic nods. He grinned. "Ok. Who's next, Myles?"

"Trey Chung. I spoke with Everett Andrews at the Joslin Center in Boston. He was Chung's and McGee's attending at Hopkins. Chung was dismissed from his residency early for pretty much the same reasons as Matthews— the man had trouble following proper procedures in ordering tests, and then would backpedal when confronted with it."

He glanced at his notes again. "The puzzling one is McGee. He was dismissed early, but Dr. Andrews couldn't remember any specific charges, simply 'suspected of unethical practices concerning patients.' We need to a little more digging on him. I asked Dr. Reisman to fax McGee's entire file over from Johns Hopkins. It'll take a while to get the whole thing, but it's en route."

Bobby shifted against his desk. "We may not need to, mate. While doing my garbage duty this morning, I ran across a whole bin full of shredded documents in McGee's office. Maybe someone's getting nervous about the new administrator poking around. I brought them back here-- now we just have to put the puzzle back together."

Lucy groaned. "Please tell me it wasn't a cross-cut shredder."

The Aussie grinned. "We got lucky. Just a strip shredder. But we've still got a lot of work ahead of us."

Jack clapped his hands together. "Alright Sue, why don't you stick with Myles and go over McGee's records as they come in on the fax. Anyone want to volunteer to make a dinner run?" The eyes that met his reminded him it was _his_ turn to spring for dinner, and he grinned sheepishly. "Ok, that would be me. The rest of you, take our puzzle into the conference room and get started piecing. Chinese okay with everyone?"


	35. Chapter 35

**Thirty five**

Sue was paging through the first half-inch stack of MacGee's file when a strange sensation came over her. She glanced up through her lashes to find Myles gazing at her rather intently.

"What is it, Myles?" She inspected the front of her blouse, looking for a stain or something.

He blinked, coming out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

"You're staring at me; why?"

Oh. Uh..." He looked like he was about to say something more, but wasn't sure if he dared. After a moment, he backed off. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

She smiled at him. "Well, we best get started; there's a lot here."

For a split-second, she could swear he looked disappointed that she hadn't pressed the issue. Then he replied, "You're right." They bent back over the reports.

Five minutes later, the buzzing sensation started again. This time when she looked up, she jumped about a foot, because he was leaning up against her desk, the same thoughtful gaze on his face. She didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow at him this time.

"Sorry," he said with a faint smile. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Her raised brow soon became furrowed as she pondered what Myles was thinking. "It's okay. What's the matter Myles? I can see you have a question, it's written all over your face. Honestly, I don't bite." She said, grinning.

He laughed softly at that, and it seemed to break through his hesitancy. "You're not at all what I expected, do you know that?"

Sue sat back in her chair, eyeing him with the full force of the exasperation the past two years had built up. "What exactly _did_ you expect, Myles?" she asked him, an edge of sarcasm in her tone.

Myles reared back a little at her tone; then his eyes dropped momentarily, and he nodded. "I deserve that. And to be honest, I don't know what I expected. I guess I wasn't even willing to accommodate you enough for expectations."

Her tone changed quickly as she understood where he was trying to lead. "I know it's hard sometimes, for some people to get use to thinking of me as a real person. It's alright, nothing I haven't encountered before in my life already."

"I—" The full implication of her words hit him, and for a moment he simply looked down at her desk, shame filling his features. He knew she was right, and it cut him to the core. When he did look up, his eyes were full of that shame, and she could tell somehow that his voice was much more unsteady than usual. "I am so sorry, Sue," he said. "And even more so that it has taken me this long to realize how much of a jackass I've been."

She chuckled slightly at his prolific description of himself. "If I allowed everyone who had been a jackass to me at some point in my life get to me, I wouldn't be where I am today. You know, we have to take the good with the bad, just some of us get a bit more bad then the rest. I think it makes us stronger in the end, don't you?"

He smiled at that, admiration for her mingling with the shame at himself. "I think it makes some of us absolutely _phenomenal_."

Sue smiled, signing as she spoke. "I agree." Then she sighed softly, "Myles, I'm not now, nor have I ever been, upset with you. I accepted your behavior as you... just being Myles. A fellow colleague of mine, who I hoped I could one day call a friend."

"Okay, you just surpassed phenomenal." He held out a hand to her, and she swore she could see a tear in the corner of his eye. "Friend is a title I'd be honored to share with you."

As she reached for his hand, she stood up. "A hand is all you offer?" She extended both of her arms to hug him instead.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this a deaf culture thing I don't know about?" He smiled and gave her a big hug.

She returned his smile. "Yes, you could say it is a Deaf Cultural _thing_. We tend to be a bit more lovey than the general hearing public; the deaf community is like a close-knit family. I'm sorry, I didn't think about the difference."

"That's perfectly all right," he replied. "Now that I know its okay, I'm going to take one further liberty while Jack's out of the room." He gave her a very brief kiss on the cheek. "You know, that was beautiful today, over at the nursing home. I'd never really watched you when you and Lucy or Troy, sign exclusively. It's an exquisite language, almost...ballet-like."

"I'm a bit partial since it's my language; but yes, I would have to agree with your assessment."

He smiled again. "You know, I've heard Evelyn Glennie perform several times, both in Boston and here in DC. I didn't know all that about her, though, and I didn't realize you followed the arts. Or, if you don't mind my asking, is it more because she's deaf?"

"No, I follow the arts, more deaf art then anything. It's easier for me to understand. Evelyn being deaf is more of an inspiration then anything."

"Deaf art? Would you explain that to me?" He looked puzzled, but genuinely interested. "I never really thought about it, I guess, but there would have to be some differences in storytelling or poetry, wouldn't there?"

She smiled. "Well, one distinctive feature of deaf folklore is its visuality. It also is entertainment, educational and identity-preserving role for the community."

"I noticed the visuality," he replied. "You all were so expressive."

Sue laughed. "You want expressive, you should see Troy tell his baseball story— from the baseball's point of view."

Myles found himself chuckling as well. "I'd like to see that sometime." He glanced back as the fax machine beeped. "Hold that thought."

He walked over and refilled the machine with paper, then grabbed the stack of printouts off the top. "I suppose we need to finish this, too. Can you talk and peruse at the same time?"

She grinned at him. "I can, but you'll have flicker the light on the desk, if you want to ask me something."

"I think I can handle that." He motioned her toward Bobby's desk so they could both reach the reports. "Shall we?"


	36. Chapter 36

**Thirty six**

Once they were settled, he picked up the previous conversation. "So, you were telling me about deaf art forms."

She nodded. "Well, one aspect is actual art, in the traditional sense of the word. It's representations of historical events to reflect Deaf history or the Deaf experience; this is a way of indicating the magnitude of an event in our history. Usually these paintings are very vibrant and rich in color contrast."

He flicked Bobby's desk lamp, and she looked up. "Like abstract? Or realistic images in more vivid colors?"

"It can be anything really-- visual fine arts, painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, printmaking. Most deaf artists have a tendency to use contrasting colors and values, intense colors, contrasting textures. It may also most often include a centralized focus, with exaggeration or emphasis on facial features, especially eyes, mouths, ears, and hands. Currently, Deaf artists tend to work in human scale with these exaggerations, and not exaggerate the space around these elements."

He nodded, fascinated. "Sounds like a world I need to explore a bit. You mentioned the storytelling - that would be along the same lines as literature or poetry, I would assume."

"Yes, the storytelling is along the same lines as deaf literature and poetry. To give you an example: one story is about a boy who dreams of traveling to another land, one where the majority are deaf, with few that can hear. The objective to deaf literature is the need and sense of belonging; this is what the deaf community is. In poetry, it's a way to express the everyday life of a deaf person."

He flicked the light again. "How is the poetry...does it translate into..." He sighed. "I'm not even sure how to ask this. If I were to ask you to write down one of Clayton Valli's poems, would it lose something somehow in the process, or does the ASL structure enhance it somehow?"

"Most ASL poets write the poetry in English first, and then it is GLOSSED to ASL. I don't believe you could take a ASL poem, that perhaps you see, and write it down, then it would lose much in the meaning. When the poem is told in ASL, I believe it enhances the meaning of the poem."

Myles nodded again. "I would imagine, especially by the author that it would— to see the passion behind the words."

Sue smiled. "I think you're starting to see how expressive the deaf people's language really is— I think that's great."

He looked a little chagrined. "And it's about darn time?"

She tilted her head and smiled at him even more brightly. "That, too."

They worked in silence for a several minutes. Then he reached over and flicked the desk light again, a little more hesitantly this time. When she looked up, she saw the same hesitation in his eyes.

"What is it, Myles?" she asked gently. "Whatever it is, go ahead and ask it. It's okay."

"What about...well, you mentioned Evelyn Glennie, who is a musician. How--" He paused. "Please don't take this wrong. How, if you can't hear the music...?" He trailed off, not knowing how to phrase his question.

Sue smiled. "How can I take it wrong, if you're being kind enough to ask? But to answer your question, you could say, I _hear_ music. I just don't hear it the same way you do. I listen through my hands, the vibrations allow for the beats of the music. Some deaf persons prefer drums to piano or guitar; me, I enjoy them all."

She paused for a moment. "Did you know there are five types of music, one each pertaining to our five senses? Although, most hearing people are only familiar with one type of music, the ear music. It's amazing that the hearing people think that we, the DEAF, can't enjoy the sphere of music. In fact, they're only confined themselves into thinking that there's only one type of music, and we're 'lacking' as non-functional in this aspect because we can't hear the "ear" music as well as they can. You know some deaf even develop inner rhythm, which allows them to dance to music even if they don't hear it."

Myles thought about that, hard. "I never thought of that. I do know when I go to the symphony and sit closer to the stage, I can usually feel the music in my feet, through the floor, but I never really thought of it as its own...sense, I suppose." He looked at her again, smiling. "So if I were to find out when Evelyn Glennie is going to be with the National Symphony this season...and I believe she _is_ on the schedule, by the way...?"

She raised a brow at him, but her eyes twinkled. "She is. Mid-July, I think." She grinned mischievously, pretending she didn't know what he was asking. "What was your question?"

He laughed, and teased her right back. "Would you be interested in going? Or would that get me in trouble with either David or Jack?"

She laughed, "I am a big girl, you know. Besides, I can woo both of them over, if need be. I would be honored to go with you."

"Good. It's a date then." He looked thoughtful again. "You know, I wish there were some way I could turn off _my_ hearing for that. I wonder what it would be like to exclusively _feel_ the music."

Sue furrowed her brow as she thought for a moment. _Either he's lost his mind, or he actually wants to learn_. She then smiled. "When we go on our _date_, I can bring a couple of ear molds for you, you can take off your shoes -- and enjoy the experience at my level."

He looked up at her with what she could only call eagerness. "You're serious? It's possible to do that?"

She gave him a half smile. "Of course it's possible. Musicians use ear molds all the time, when they perform, to block out excessive noise; from what I've been told they work quite well."

Myles studied her face for a moment, a thoughtful smile playing across his face. "You look like you're in shock that I'd have even expressed that desire. It usually takes a two-by-four to get through to me, but it only takes one whack with it."

"Though I think that's sweet, yes, I am a bit confused why you would want to entertain experiencing a symphony without hearing it, if you didn't have to." She paused for a moment with a look of confusion. "What did you want to do with a two-by-four?"

He laughed, and explained the reference. When he finished, she giggled and said, "Oh, if I'd known that was all it would take, I'd have found one a long time ago."

"Thank you _so_ much." He sobered a little. "Why would I want to experience it? Because, Miss Thomas, I think I've been missing out on something. You know I love the arts in any form-- and it should be a new experience every time, or that's how I feel about it. Today showed me a whole range of new experiences that I hadn't even considered. Is that so shocking coming from me?"

Sue lowered her brow. "Shocking is on way to express it, yes," she smiled at him. "But I'm more than happy to explain and share the world I live it, if you want— I thank you for having an interest."

Suddenly, Jack's voice rang from the hallway as he walked past. "Come and get it while it's warm, folks!"

Myles glanced at Sue and said, "I owe you the thanks, and the apology again for my previous attitude. Jack's back with dinner, by the way. You hungry?"

"Yes, I'm famished."

As they exited the room, Sue gently grabbed Myles' arm; without a word, she signed _friends_.

He looked at her, puzzled. "What's that the sign for?"

She smiled up at him. "Friends."

It was the first time she'd ever seen him both at a loss for words and genuinely touched. He returned the gesture slowly, almost shyly, latching his right index finger onto his left, then rotating his wrists to vice versa. _Friends._


	37. Chapter 37

**Thirty seven**

Myles and Sue joined joined their teammates in the conference room. As they ate they discussed the finer points of the pending case at hand, until Bobby realized something very critical.

"Hey guys." The team looked up. "I just realized all of this info is at least 2 months old. We have nothing concrete that is current."

Jack sat back as he rubbed his forehead, he pondered for a moment. "You're right. All we have is circumstantial evidence, nothing current to tie them all in at this moment in time."

Tara sat up a bit. "Guys, I know this might sound off the wall; but what if we get Dr. Bauman to try to get back involved with the others?"

"You might have something there." Myles said. Then he caught Jack's eye and motioned with his chin toward Sue. Their previous conversation had left him a bit more observant.

Jack glanced over at Sue, realizing she'd been reading and had not seen what they had been conversing about. He gently touched her arm.

Sue looked up. "I'm sorry, did I miss something?"

Jack chuckled slightly, "You missed a lot, but that's okay." Sue furrowed her brow slightly, and he smiled at her. "Here's the question: since we have no absolute current concrete evidence to tie in the fraud activities right now. Do you think Dr. Bauman would help us, by contacting the other doctors and try to get involved again in their scam?"

Sue sat silent for a few moments. Jack could see her look of confusion, but just then his cell phone rang. As he was reaching for it, Sue began to answer; he held up his hand. "Hold that thought. Hudson here." As he listened, Jack's expression shifted to mirror Sue's.

After a few short moments he hung up his phone. Sue looked at him and signed, WHAT??

"That was Dan. He wants to meet with us in the lobby in 15 minutes." Jack said.

"Did he say what for?" Sue asked.

"Um no, he didn't. Guess we should go meet with him." Jack said, standing up.

Jack checked his watch, then glanced over at Sue. "While we have a minute to spare away from everyone else, I wanted to tell you how much I admire you."

Her brows furrowed as she smiled. "Admire me? Why? What have I done?"

Jack gently took hold of her hands, one in each of his, and raised them slightly. "You told me, not too long ago, that being humiliated stopped you from speaking with your hands. I admire your courage, to overcome such a fear. You confronted Dan, solving your issues with him. But, most of all, I've never seen such beauty and passion come from one person as I did from you this afternoon."

Sue could feel the beads of perspiration forming on her palms as Jack held them. Her mind raced to collect her thoughts. "In all honesty, I don't know if I would have been able to confront Dan without your support. So if anything, I owe you my gratitude for being such a dear friend with a sympathetic _working ear_ to lean on." Her smile brightened. "And as far as today... I owe you thanks for that in a way, too."

"What do you mean?"

Her eyes warmed as she gazed at him, and her hands tightened in his. "You have been so completely without judgment toward me; that has helped me so much to not be afraid anymore of what feels natural for me. Our friendship has made me able to explore that side of myself again."

Jack started to answer until he saw the elevator doors begin to open. Sue questioned him with her gaze. "Dan's here. We can finish this little talk afterwards, alright?" She nodded in agreement and he turned to face the doctor. "So what was the urgency of this meeting, Dan?"

"I was approached again tonight by Harris. He wants me to return to their little shin-dig…"

"What was that last word?" Sue looked to Jack for an explanation.

"He said _shin-dig._"

"I don't get it." She still looked quite confused.

"Shin-dig. It's like a party." Jack explained.

Sue rolled her eyes slightly. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

Jack grinned, trying to contain his laughter. "Okay, what else, Dan?"

The doctor looked uncomfortable. "Well, I told him I'd have to think about it."

"So then they are still active with this scam?" Sue asked.

Dan nodded. "Yes, as far as I can tell they are. Harris handed me a few new patients to check out if I was still interested." Dan handed Jack a slip of paper with a list of hand-written names on it.

Sue looked up at Jack. "This is what you needed?"

"Yes, this is exactly what we needed. Come on into the office Dan, I'll have Bobby take your statement."

Dan slightly rubbed his head, as he tried to calm his nerves some, "Sue, can I talk to you alone first – in private, please?"

Sue glanced to Jack, as he gestured, _go for it_.

"I'll meet you both in a few minutes in the office." Jack headed for the bullpen.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Dan?"

The doctor shuffled his feet against the tile floor. "The bust is going to go down tomorrow, isn't it?"

"More than likely, yes." Sue wondered if perhaps he was getting cold feet about testifying.

Dan sighed deeply. He seemed to be gearing his nerves up for something. "Then I guess this is the best time to say this…"

Sue smiled slightly. "Say what?"

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way. So please bear with me, while I explain, Okay?" When she nodded, he continued. "This afternoon, after you left, I was sitting in my office – I realized exactly how much I really missed out on, not taking the time to get to know you better when I had the chance."

Sue's fears subsided, and she took Dan's hand. "I think we all have regrets about certain times of our lives. The point is to learn from them and more on, remembering them so you don't repeat them."

Dan held out his other arm. "Do you mind?" He gestured for a hug.

Sue grinned. "Not at all."

Dan gave her a friendly, grateful hug. Then he pulled back a bit. "Can we try not to be such strangers? You know how time flies, and it will have been another 10 or so years before we talk again."

Sue smiled. "I'll try not to."


	38. Chapter 38

**Thirty Eight**

They walked into the Bullpen just as Jack was about to come find them. "Oh good," Jack said, "Bobby, here's Dan— can you take his statement? We'll plan on going in tomorrow."

Tomorrow morning came, without incident—the elite team proved again to themselves of their ability to thwart crime, taking down the three doctors and stopping their scam against the Health Care system.

Sue took a moment out, while the doctors were detained and questioned on site, to find Gladys. The two women shared a brief but lovely visit. Gladys thanked Sue for helping her open up again to meeting new friends, especially Martha. Sue was also glad she'd had the opportunity to meet Gladys— in some small way, she knew Gladys helped her overcome the small part of herself that had always been embarrassed about being deaf.

A bit later, while gathering the final pieces of evidence to ensure a conviction, Jack noticed Sue seemed a bit sad. He leaned playfully into her, and as she glanced at him he signed, _What's wrong?_

Sue shrugged slightly as she replied. _Nothing, we good. PAH me happy this done._

Jack furrowed his brow, shaking his head. "You lost me. I have no clue what you said." He chuckled slightly in embarrassment.

She leaned playfully into him in return. "I said there's nothing wrong, we did a good job, I'm glad this case is finally over." She felt a warm tingle at the brush of her shoulder against his.

Jack grinned at her. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight? Why?"

"I thought I might take you out for a celebratory dinner – least I can do after all you've had to put up with this case."

She squinted her eyes slightly, trying not to show her excitement. "Do my eyes deceive me, or is my Training Agent asking me out on a date?"

Jack's face grew red at her implication. "Ah, yeah, well. I think you could train me in a few aspects of this job, as well as you have done." He cleared his throat. "Ahem, yes, I am asking you out – friends can't go out for dinner?"

She signed as she spoke. "Yes, friends can go out to dinner, and I would love to go with you, Sparky."

"Pick you up around 7pm?" Jack said.

Sue nodded. _7pm good_, she signed.

A perplexed look fell over Jack's face once again. "I'll take that as 7pm is good?"

Sue giggled. "Yes, that's what I said."

Jack was having a hard time focusing on the subject at hand. "Are you done here?"

"Yep, I think I've got everything you asked for."

He grinned. "Then let's get this evidence back to the office."


	39. Chapter 39

**Thirty Nine**

Later that afternoon, Jack congratulated the team on another job well done. Sue was gathering her belongings to head home and get ready for her adventure that evening.

Jack walked over to her desk. "7pm right?" His tone was that of a schoolboy praying his date was still on.

Sue nodded.

Lucy touched her shoulder. "You ready?"

"Yep, I'm ready."

Jack watched as the two women left the room. Then Bobby walked up behind him, putting an arm around his shoulder. "Well, mate, you finally did it. I'm so proud of you, Sparky."

"What did I do?" Jack said.

Dimitrius overheard their conversation, and decided to comment. "You know, it's pretty obvious, Jack, that you care a great deal about her. Nothing wrong with asking a pretty lady out."

Tara chuckled as she grabbed her coat on her way out. "Jack, you are pretty readable sometimes, I hate to tell you. I'll see you all in the morning." She waved and walked out.

Myles stopped at Jack's side as he headed for the door as well. "My good man, you would be a fool to let this one go." The soft baritone was meant for his ears only.

Jack just looked at him for a minute, in shock at _who_ had said it, then simply in awe at the words.

Myles just smiled, then spoke to the room at large. "I bid you all a good night," he said, as he gently slapped Jack's shoulder and then walked out.


	40. Chapter 40

**Forty **

Back at her apartment, Sue noticed Lucy watching as she rummaged through her closet trying to find a suitable outfit for her "date" with Jack. The black lady was chuckling.

"…And what are, you laughing at, may I ask?" Sue faced her, hands on her hips.

Lucy took a moment to contain her laughter. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous."

Then why are you acting like a love-sick schoolgirl?"

Sue paused to grasp Lucy's words, then walked over to the chair by the window. She sat down and drew a deep sigh "I am, aren't I?"

Lucy walked over, stooping down. "I think it's fantastic. Not every girl gets her dream date with a guy she really cares about. So why are you so nervous about this?"

Sue sighed again. "I guess I'm just afraid— of what, I don't know."

Lucy sat down on the floor, Indian-style, and looked up at her friend. "He really cares about you, Sue. Heck, the whole office knows that. Even Myles has figured it out by now." She grinned.

Sue grinned back. "I had my hunches the office knew, by the looks sometimes. I just don't want this to work out badly, and ruin mine and Jack's friendship, is all."

Lucy smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard to figure out, was it? Look, if you're that worried about it, then just tell him that. He's probably worried about the exact same thing. But don't let fear keep you from something that could be _exactly_ where you're supposed to be headed. Gram always told me not to try to second-guess what the Good Lord had in store."

Sue blew out her breath and stood. "You're absolutely right. Feel like helping pick out a dress?"

Lucy jumped up. "You feel like knocking his socks off, or just staying on safe ground tonight?"

Sue laughed. "You realize how that looks? But 'knock his socks off' is _exactly_ what I want to do."


	41. Chapter 41

**Forty one**

Jack walked up the stairs to Sue and Lucy's apartment, trying to draw a breath that would slow his pounding heart and loosen the knot in his stomach. _This seemed like such a great idea a couple of hours ago. Now I feel like I'm sixteen all over again._ He stopped at the door, took several more breaths, then knocked.

Lucy answered the door-- there stood Jack. He looked like a school-boy on his first date, dressed in his best, holding a single white rose. "Wow! You look stunning, Jack. Come on in; I'll let Sue know you're here."

"Thanks, Luce." He stepped into the apartment, wishing for a moment that Sue's roommate were someone _other_ than a co-worker. He knew Lucy would be on the phone with Tara or Bobby the minute he and Sue left. He sat down at the table by the entry, still trying to take a normal breath.

As Lucy returned, she was finding it difficult to contain her smile. "She said she'll be right out. You know, Jack, I'm glad you finally asked Sue out -- I think you both share very similar feelings."

He started a little at that, more because he wasn't sure he wanted to discuss it with Lucy than because he disagreed with her. "I hope so. I just don't want this to mess up our friendship, you know?"

Lucy just smiled. "Now I'm _sure_ you both have the same feelings." She patted his shoulder. "I know everything will work out just as it should."

Jack smiled, a bit hesitantly, and nodded. Then he looked up at Lucy and his smile gained a rueful quality. "I suppose you have Tara and Bobby sitting by their phones just waiting for the scoop? Or are they downstairs waiting to tail us?"

Lucy sneered. "You sir, must think I have something up my sleeve. Well, if you must know, we've all been waiting for this day for almost 2 years now. _No one_ is going to 'tail' you."

"Right", he grinned. "You'll all just trace the GPS in the car and show up when we least expect it."

"Perhaps, Agent Hudson, you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you— I think I hear her coming out."

Jack stood, looking down for a moment as his jacket pocket caught the corner of the table. When he looked up again, his breath caught in his throat, and he all he could so was stare.

She was exquisite. Sue's spaghetti-strapped dress was a bright sky blue, much like the shirts they'd both worn to the office one day while they were chasing Arrif Dessa and had been "newlyweds." But the material was a soft shimmery knit, and it clung to her skin in all the right places and draped softly everywhere else. A simple string of pearls accented her neck, and her hair was down around her shoulders just the way he liked it.

Lucy could see by the look in Jack's eyes he was mesmerized. She leaned toward him slightly, whispering, "Better check and make sure you still have your socks, buddy," She then laughed softly.

His eyes never left Sue's, but he smiled. "You'd better check for me, because I can't even feel my feet at this point." He walked over and held out the rose to her. "You look..." He signed it slowly, a big circle in front of his face. ..".beautiful."

Her face beamed at his thoughtfulness as she took the rose from him, and she signed _Thank You._

Lucy handed him a white mohair shawl, and he placed it over Sue's shoulders. Then he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"


	42. Chapter 42

**Forty Two**

Conversation in the car was quiet, almost shy, until they pulled up at the restaurant. Sue's eyes widened, and she looked at Jack in amazement. "_Antonio's_??? But...you need reservations at least two days ahead for this place."

Jack just grinned. "Not if you know the manager. I helped him out a few years back, and he told me there would always be a table with my name on it."

Sue smiled, "Wow I'm impressed, but I don't want you to go bankrupt over our dinner." She paused a moment, releasing a slight laugh, "Or did you rob a bank recently?"

He laughed with her, then looked down, considering whether to share with her. After a moment, he looked up again. "In all honesty, I've kinda been saving up for this for awhile."

Sue just looked at him for a minute, blushing deeply. Then she recovered and her dark eyes twinkled. "A bit presumptuous, on your part wasn't it? Knowing the dating rule."

Jack just shrugged. "Well, I _did_ expect to be saving up for longer than this." He glanced at her. "That better?"

Sue paused for a moment, then smiled, "I'm glad it's now and not later"

"So am I." His eyes said more than his words. "Well, Miss Thomas, shall we go wow the social elite of the Capitol?"


	43. Chapter 43

**Forty Three**

Dinner was fabulous, and they were so caught up in each other that the waiter actually startled them a couple of times. More than once, though, Sue noticed that Jack seemed distracted. As they enjoyed a glass of wine with dessert, she reached over and touched his hand. "Jack, what is it? What's wrong?"

He blinked out of his thoughts and chuckled. "Nothing's wrong. Believe me, nothing could _be_ wrong with tonight." He liked the way she smiled at that. "But...I'm sorry. I can't help but think that at some point the gang is going to show up. Every time the waiter came up behind me I was expecting to turn around and see Bobby."

Sue chuckled to herself at the thought of the rest of the team showing up. "You really don't think they would do that do you?"

He gave her a gentle _you're kidding_ look. "You honestly didn't expect to see Lucy hiding behind a menu at one of the nearby tables?"

A smirk appeared on her face. "You have a point. I honestly wouldn't put it past Lucy, to convince the entire team to tail us and watch our every move."

"I know. I said as much to her back at the apartment." He sighed. "Well, no sense spoiling their fun, or worrying about it of they're _not_ going to do something. What would you like to do now? A walk or a drive, perhaps?"

Sue studied Jack for a moment, almost debating to herself silently, which was easier to follow a conversation, taking a soft sigh, "How about we go for a drive."

"Sounds good." He stood, offering her his hand. "Milady?"

She smiled. "Certainly kind sir"

When the valet brought the car, however, a new option presented itself. Jack had opened Sue's door for her, then as he came around to the driver's side, he noticed a business card slipped under the windshield wiper. He picked it up, then got into the car. "I have another idea. What would you say to a bit of dancing and perhaps a nightcap later?"

Sue closed her eyes gently for a moment, thoughts racing through her mind _I've had wine, now he wants a nightcap and dancing later— I can do this!_ "On one condition," she said as she smiled at him.

"What's that?"

She was completely at ease any other time around Jack, but she now found it hard to explain to him. "As long as you don't laugh at my poor coordination. I don't have the best balance as it is, and remember I've had a few to drink already."

Then he smiled at her, warming her heart all over again. "Tell you what. We can skip the nightcap until later if you want, and I think I can hold you close enough that you won't fall over in the meantime. What do you think of that?"

Sue softly smiled as she gazed into Jack's dark eyes. "I think I would like that very much."


	44. Chapter 44

**Forty Four**

They walked into _Bohemian Caverns_, and Sue could feel the music almost immediately. The wooden floor vibrated with the music, and she found herself swaying a little, swinging Jack's hand in the process. He looked over at her, and smiled.

She returned his smile, "Whoever left that card, has good choices in bars."

"Well, then, let's not let the music go to waste." He raised an eyebrow as he made a spinning motion with his hand. "You up for making an entrance onto the dance floor? Or would that be a little much for your equilibrium?"

A brilliant smile flashed across her face, and she took a step away, still holding his hand. "I'm fine. What do they say, _Let's dance the night away_. Lead the way."

He grinned and spun her once onto the dance floor, catching her tightly in his arms at the end of the move. "Hmm," he said, "I think I like this."

At the same moment, she thought, _Hmm, I think I like this too._

They danced for awhile, oblivious to the fact that they were being observed from a corner table. Oblivious to _everything_, really, except each other. Then they decided to take a break, and found an empty table.

"You want something to drink?" Jack asked her.

"Sure, I would love to have _Sex on the Beach_," she said, not thinking of its implication.

Jack looked at her in complete shock for a minute. "Excuse me?"

Sue a looked at him, a bit confused. "Excuse me, what? Didn't you ask me what I wanted to drink?"

It clicked then, and he turned bright red. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sure, yeah, that's what I asked. I'll be right back then." He got up and headed for the bar, thinking _Dear Lord, please don't let her say anything else like that tonight. My heart won't take it._

A few minutes later he returned with the drinks. Looking at her, he realized she still hadn't caught the implications of the conversation, and a mischievous grin crossed his face. _The worst she can do is tell me to take her home_, he thought, _and after the near heart-attack she gave me, it might be worth it. Lucy would have her laughing about it five minutes later anyway._ "Here you go," he said aloud, setting the drink down in front of her with a flourish, "I believe you said that you'd love to have _Sex on the Beach_. Happy to oblige."

Thank you", she said, then it suddenly dawned on her the implication. Her eyes widened, and her face went scarlet. "Oh my gosh! Jack, I didn't mean it like that." Then she flashed a big grin. "But it's flattering you're 'happy to oblige'."

He laughed as he sat back down. "Just don't do that to me again tonight, okay?" He chose not to voice the rest of his thought.

She looked at him with a subtle smile. "I promise I won't."

A little while later they went back out onto the dance floor, still not noticing that they were being watched. Four forms made their way stealthily to the edge of the dance floor, slowly working their way toward Jack and Sue, closing in from two different angles. Neither of the two agents noticed, so caught up were they in the slow movements of the dancing, and the bright fire in each other's eyes.

At the end of the song, Jack brought his hand up to touch Sue's cheek. "Would it be completely presumptuous of me to ask if I could kiss you?"

Sue's mind fluttered with all the possibilities one single kiss could lead to; but, especially in her state of mind, it felt natural to go where her mind had wandered to. "I don't think it would be presumptuous of you at all."

He smiled, and leaned in to give her a brief kiss on the lips. The sweetness of it almost prompted him to extend it a bit, but he chose to stay on safer ground...for now.

As he released her, gazing into her eyes and watching them burn bright with promise, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Woo-hoo! Way to go, Sparky! It's about time!"

Jack looked up to see Bobby and Lucy dancing together right next to them. He rolled his eyes at the ceiling, then spoke to Sue. "Don't look now, but we have company."

Sue glanced over around Jack's shoulder to see her co-worker and roommate dancing away, smiles from ear to ear on each of them. "What are you two doing? No Wait!" she exclaimed, "I'm sure I don't want to know." She looked back to Jack.

He shook his head as another sight appeared behind her. "It gets better," he said ruefully, "Look behind you."

She turned, and saw Myles and Tara grinning from the other side. "Very smooth, Jack," Myles crooned. "Very, very classy. I'd not have expected you to ask her permission first."

Sue turned back to Jack, shrugging slightly. "Well, at least we know they care about us, right?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

Jack couldn't keep the grin off his face as he shook his head. "I suppose. Now we know who left the card about this place on the car." He turned to Bobby. "Nice choice, by the way."

Bobby just grinned. "Thanks. Now, since we've had our fun, we'll go enjoy the rest of our evening off and leave you two alone." Three other smug nods surrounded them, and with a chorus of waves they went back over to their table.

Jack laughed. "You know, it's a good thing they're on our side."

Sue laughed as well. "I think you're right."

He led her back over to their table and they each ordered another drink. While they were waiting, he said, "Hey, I meant to ask you. You said something earlier about your balance. But you seem fine tonight on the dance floor, and I've never seen you have a problem at work."

Sue smiled slightly. "Yeah, well I've worked at it for a long time. Just don't ask me to walk a straight line," she gently laughed. "Most deaf people have some form of a balance problem, it has to do with your equilibrium being based in the middle ear. I know drinking throws it off as well, just wanted you to be prepared was all— better to inform you, then leave you in the dark, I figured."

"I see." He smiled, extending an arm over the back of the booth seat. "Well, then why don't you come over here where I can keep an eye on you?"

She smiled as she got up and sat next to him, thinking to herself, _It's a shame this evening will eventually come to an end. I wish it could go on for an eternity._ She sighed as she relaxed in his arms.

He caught the sigh, and signed, _I feel the same way._ As she leaned her head against his shoulder, he signed again. _You like the music? Jazz is one of my favorite styles._

Her smile broadened. "Really? Jazz is one of my favorites also; it's easier to feel. I didn't know you liked Jazz; you seem more the _Country Music_ type," she teased, snickering slightly.

"I said _one_ of my favorites," he defended. "When you're from Wisconsin, country is pretty much a given. Easier to feel? We're not on the dance floor, though. You can still feel it? How?"

She gently took his hand and placed it flat on the wooden table top. Then, placing her hand over his and gently pressing it flat, she looked into his eyes. "Just feel— you'll _hear_ the music," she said.

His eyes widened as he did indeed feel the rhythm of the music through the tabletop. "Wow. That's neat." He put his other hand over hers, intertwining their fingers. "I'm so glad I finally got up the nerve to do this. And maybe now Bobby will leave me alone about it."

She gazed into his eyes, finding it hard to find her words. "I'm glad you finally got the nerve up as well. I'm glad you're willing to allow me to share myself with you."

He looked out over the dance floor for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Then he turned back to face her, and his expression told her he was having a bit of a time as well. "The world you've opened up to me-- to all of us, really, I think... I'm honored you trust me enough _to_ share yourself. I know that doesn't come easily."

Then he glanced over to the table in the corner, and nudged her with his shoulder. "Don't look now, but we're still under surveillance."

She breathed a deep sigh. "You know, I often find it hard to trust others; but for some reason I have no reservations about trusting and opening to you. I just often feel awkward." She then glanced quickly to the table in the corner, viewing their friends staring at them from afar. She released a small laugh. "They really look pathetic don't they? Do you think we should invite them over to join us?"

Jack looked at her. "It's completely up to you, swe—, uh, Sue," He watched her smile, and knew he'd been caught. He shrugged slightly, a shy smile on his face.

"I think we probably should." She gently placed her hand on his cheek. "I don't mind if you call me that _word_ either, if you would like." She caught Lucy and Tara's line of sight, waving them over. They laughed as the foursome practically jumped out of their chairs.

Jack smiled at her again. "Hmm...I might get in trouble for that at work, I'm afraid. But we'll see. Hey, before they get over here...would you like to do this again sometime soon?"

Her smile was brilliant. "I would like that. Perhaps the sooner, the better."

**The End**


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